Summer 2020 - Optical Connections Magazine

ANTONY SAVVAS OPENZR+

HOWDY OPENZR+! FLEXIBLE COHERENT SOLUTION SADDLES UP

The OpenZR+ technology standard for efficient optical connectivity is being pushed by some big heavyweights in the industry, but what is its commercial viability in the short-to medium-term? Antony Savvas finds out.

T he adoption of

support multi-vendor interoperability.

interconnects, as well as potential future carrier applications. It also maintains the simpler Ethernet-only host interface of 400ZR, but adds support for multi-rate Ethernet and multiplexing capabilities at 100G, 200G, 300G or 400G line interfaces with higher dispersion tolerance and higher coding gain using openFEC - also used by the Open ROADM MSA. Basically, OpenZR+ leverages elements from both 400ZR and Open ROADM industry standardisation efforts, both of which appear to be gaining momentum already. Network operators can achieve the benefits of 400ZR with enhanced features that can expand reach and functionality without sacrificing interoperability. This will help carriers and hyperscale data centre network operators by ensuring multiple suppliers for their critical components. The 400ZR effort, driven by the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), is focused on data centre interconnects (DCIs), while the Open ROADM effort is focused on carrier applications. The OpenZR+ implementation was designed to enable enhanced functionality and improved performance in pluggable form factors, such as QSFP-DD and OSFP, in order to

optical transceiver/ transponder solutions usually accelerates when implementable standardisation and

PARTNERS OpenZR+ has been building industry momentum with initial support from Acacia, Fujitsu Optical Components, Juniper Networks, Lumentum and NTT Electronics. These companies, and others, are in discussions to form an OpenZR+ multi-source agreement (MSA) to promote the standard. An MSA would see multiple manufacturers make standardised products that are compatible across a range of telecom vendors’ hardware. Tom Williams, vice president of marketing at Acacia, which was acquired by Cisco last year, says, “OpenZR+

interoperability are established. Coherent optical technology, traditionally a closed-system technology with proprietary implementations, is now evolving towards standardised and interoperable solutions too. 400G pluggable modules represent a key architectural change in high-bandwidth data centre interconnects because they can be plugged directly into switches and routers offering the same density for both coherent DWDM and client optics in the same chassis. This architectural change helps network operators support their growing bandwidth demands in a more cost-efficient manner. FLEXIBILITY The OpenZR+ solution provides an open, flexible and interoperable coherent solution in a small form factor pluggable module that addresses data centre applications for edge and regional

was designed to expand the application space for a coherent solution in a small form factor pluggable module. Specifically, OpenZR+ combines the focus on Ethernet

TomWilliams Marketing Vice President, Acacia

traffic of 400ZR, the performance of the Open ROADM specification and

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