FADY MASOUD COHERENT PLUGGABLES
Streamlined operations through automation: Intelligent coherent pluggables are designed around meeting the ever-growing demand for bandwidth and the relentless increase of network sites, especially in metro and access networks as they are fuelled by the proliferation of metro data centres and compute sites. With many sites and constant churn, manual interventions simply cannot keep up with demand. Intelligent coherent pluggables are equipped with secure and automated processes that accelerate adding them to the network. As a result, network operators can benefit from faster time to revenue, higher network reliability
managed independently of any router support for more sophisticated optical functions to optimise performance and expand optical configurations, including point-to-multipoint configuration and operation over single fibre (Figure 1). Dual management decouples the pluggable from the host development cycle and provides management uniformity regardless of the type of host device. This enables fast access to advanced optical features, without disrupting the network by having to upgrade the router or host operating system.
pluggables are not only about their maximum bit rate ( 800G); they are also about enabling lower bit rates to be transported over unprecedented distances using coherent pluggables and their compact form factors (eg QSFP-DD). This includes 400G over 3,800 km, 600G over 3,000 km and 800G over 2,000 km. Interoperability: 800G intelligent coherent pluggables are designed to be compatible with the previous generations of coherent pluggables, 400G ZR, and 400G ZR+, so an 800G pluggable operating at a 400 Gbps bit rate can be connected to any 400 Gbps coherent pluggable. They are designed to meet and exceed 800G ZR and 400G ZR OIF standards and to be interoperable with any OIF-compliant ZR transceiver. Moreover, they are designed to be multi- vendor interoperable through Open ROADM 6.0 for the “open probabilistic shaping FEC” and compliant with OIF 800G ZR (OIF 2021-144-15), OIF 400G ZR (Implementation Agreement 2.0), and OpenZR+ Rev 3.0. Dual management: Emerging 800G intelligent coherent pluggables support host-based (I2C/CMIS-compliant host interface) and host-independent management, as described in the “Management of Smart Optical Modules” white paper posted on the OIF website, thus ensuring consistent and central management with the rest of the optical domain, accelerating feature development by decoupling it from the development cycle of the host OS while taking advantage of all the advanced optical functions embedded into the pluggable. Easy deployment over legacy infrastructure: Just like their predecessors, 400G intelligent coherent pluggables, this next generation also leverages full programmability for seamless deployment over existing legacy infrastructure. By selecting the right modulation, launch power, and many other factors, network operators can maximise transmission capacity over the most challenging network configurations, including cascaded ROADMs. CONCLUSION Intelligent coherent pluggables are redefining network economics by reducing power consumption, simplifying the network, and enhancing service flexibility. The optical networking industry is on the cusp of a transformative leap with the advent of 800G intelligent coherent pluggables that further raise the bar of capacity and performance and mark a major milestone in the history of the optical networking industry, propelling it into an exciting future of next-generation connectivity.
by reducing human- caused outages and cost-efficient network operations. WHAT’S NEXT? The evolution of coherent pluggable transceivers is set
Figure 1: Dual management architecture
Deployment over single-fibre working: By leveraging digital subcarriers for downstream and upstream traffic flows, intelligent coherent pluggables can be deployed over a single fibre, with traffic flows that can be symmetrical or asymmetrical (Figure 2). This enables PON network operators to take a phased and business-paced approach to adding high-capacity business services over their existing GPON/XGS-PON/NG-PON2 infrastructures without network or service disruption. Moreover, service agility can be enhanced by providing dynamic/ automated service operations, including capacity increase in minutes and remote diagnosis and troubleshooting, all while leveraging existing PON building blocks such as splitters, filters and amplifiers.
to take a significant leap forward with the introduction of 800G coherent pluggables, which are poised to complement the
current 400G versions by providing a cost-effective and efficient optical transport solution for aggregated traffic and data centre interconnect. These next-generation pluggables represent a transformative step in network technology, offering unprecedented performance and efficiency leveraging cutting-edge 3-nm-based CMOS technology and support for advanced features like open probabilistic constellation shaping and multi-vendor interoperability. These 800G intelligent coherent
Figure 2: Deployment over single-fibre working
pluggables are not just a mere upgrade in speed; they represent a comprehensive enhancement that simplifies deployment across various network scenarios without compromising performance, visibility, or resilience. As the industry moves toward supporting native 800 GbE traffic protocols, these 800G pluggables are set to become the new standard, providing a robust solution for the future of high-speed broadband access and core transport applications. The key characteristics of the emerging 800G intelligent coherent pluggables can be summarised as follows: Multi-bit-rate capacity at longer reaches: 800G intelligent coherent
Seamless deployment over legacy Infrastructure: By leveraging software- configurable building blocks and selecting the right modulation, baud rate, launch power, spectrum width, and many other factors, network operators can maximise transmission capacity over the most challenging network configurations, including cascaded ROADMs, narrow-band filters, single fibre spans, etc. This maximises ROI through the deferral of capex associated with upgrading infrastructure to support conventional coherent pluggables that is often complex, very costly, and time consuming.
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ISSUE 38 | Q3 2024
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