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INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
ELECTRO-OPTIC POLYMERS A REVOLUTION IN OPTICAL SWITCHING? | p6
HYBRID CABLING: THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP | p14
THE YEAR AHEAD: Trends and developments in 2025 | p12
EPIC CEO INTERVIEW: Henrik Skov Andersen | p15
ACCESS OPTICS SALES BOOM VERIZON IN 1.6TBPS TRIALS VOCUS PARTNERS WITH GOOGLE
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CONTENTS
Welcome to the December 2024 issue of Optical Connections. Being the last issue of the year, we take a look back at some of the most important and industry-changing news and products during the year. We also take a look at what developments we can expect to see in the year ahead. In addition, we take a look into the future at a potentially game-changing technology which, while not new, could have massive implications for high-speed, low-power optical switching. We talk to Michael Lebby , CEO at Lightwave Logic, about the use of electro-optic polymers in the communications industry, which the company has been working on for the last few years. The latest generation of wireless access points are exceeding the transmission capacities of conventional structured, copper-based LAN cabling. So how to best connect access points to these next-generation local area data networks? The most attractive solution is to connect terminal equipment using fibre optics, writes Matthias Gerber , Market Manager LAN Cabling at Reichle & De-Massari AG. 2024 has been a phenomenal year for the fibre optic industry, so we’ve picked out just a few of the many important news stories and innovative products that we’ve reported over the last 12 months. Plus, we’ve invited some industry leaders to gaze into their crystal balls and predict the directions the industry might take in 2025. This issue also features a round-up of ECOC 2024, which took place in Frankfurt am Maine, at the end of September. Once again, the exhibition showcased the latest products and services, as well as providing an unrivalled opportunity to meet and network with key suppliers and industry leaders. 2024 saw yet another uptick in visitor, exhibitor and delegate numbers, which augers well for ECOC 2025, which will take place in Copenhagen. In the meantime, the Optical Connections team would like to wish all our sponsors, advertisers and readers a very happy and successful 2025 and we look forward to continuing our relationships in the coming year. NEW YEAR, NEW TECH
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Industry News
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Electro-optic Polymers Michael Lebby
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Industry News 2024
10 Products News 2024 12 The Year Ahead Peter Dykes 14 Hybrid Cabling Reichle & De-Massari 16 EPIC CEO Interview Henrik Skov Andersen 18 ECOC 2024 Wrap
22 ECOC 2024 Market Focus 24 ECOC 2024 Industry Awards 25 ECOC 2024 Statistics 26 TOP Conference Preview 30 Product News
Peter Dykes Contributing Editor, Optical Connections
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INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
INDUSTRY NEWS
Access optics sales to reach US$2.9bn by 2029
LightCounting is predicting that access optics sales will reach US$2.9 billion by 2029, in its latest Access Optics Report and Forecast report. It says the optical access market – Fiber- to-the-X, fronthaul, and backhaul – has always been cyclical, as operators deploy a new generation of technology every 4-6 years. 2024 marked a low point in the cycle for both FTTx and fronthaul, and also marked the ramp-up of newer Fibre-to-the- Room (FTTR) technology in China. As China’s deployment of 10G XPS-
PON continues to wind down, U.S. operators are still waiting for the promised broadband stimulus funding from the federal government. LightCounting expects sales in this segment will ramp up again over the next several years, as the B.E.A.D. funding starts to be realized, driving up 10G PON deployment in the U.S., and China begins deploying next generation 50G PON. Fibre-to-the-Room has become a high-priority for deployment by Chinese telecom operators, with ex- plicit deployment goals set
by the central government. The technology guarantees good performance of Wi-Fi networks inside residential homes and apartments, especially those construct- ed of concrete, which restricts transmission of wireless networks. FTTR is a classic high-volume, low-cost opportunity, with unit shipments above 100 million in some years, and average prices per unit of a few dollars in some cases. And while deployment ramps up in China, says LightCounting, the pros- pects for FTTR adoption elsewhere are less certain. Several operators have
deployed it, with some success in improving cus- tomer satisfaction, but it’s unlikely to prove necessary in many countries where construction practices tend toward more Wi-Fi friendly materials such as wood and sheetrock. It concludes that new technologies continue to evolve, and both Low Earth Orbit Satellite (LEOS) and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) have proven they can reliably deliver internet connectivity to consumers, in competition with traditional fibre-based PON networks.
Get the full story here.
Verizon in 1.6Tbps trials with Ciena
Vocus partners with Google on Australia subsea network
In a recent trial in Boston, Verizon moved 1.6 Tbps of data in its live fibre network on a single- carrier wavelength using Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme coherent optical solution. The operator says this next generation technology allows data traveling across Verizon’s fibre network to travel farther and faster, leading to a better customer experience. In addition, the upgrade to the new equipment will result in higher reliability and significant energy savings in that portion of the fibre network. The trial took place over a 118 km Boston metro route that consisted of 10 hops
and passed through nine reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADMs). The trial over this live metro network validated the performance of 1.6 Tbps using WL6e in a flexible, dense ROADM environment. Ciena’s WL6e is the industry’s first high-band- width coherent transceiver using state-of-the-art 3nm silicon to drive signifi- cant economic benefits for operators, including a 50% reduction in space and power per bit. WL6e provides massive 1.6 Tbps, single-carrier wavelengths for metro ROADM de- ployments and maximises network coverage for 800G connectivity.
Australian infrastructure provider Vocus, has entered a strategic partnership with Google for Australia Connect, a 42,500km high-capacity submarine network linking to Australia’s north, east and west coasts. Australia Connect will extend beyond the previously announced Pacific Connect system that links Australia and the West Coast of the United States with a multi-terabit ring network through and between Fiji and French Polynesia, landing in Sydney and Melbourne. The cable complements Pacific Connect with four
additional network links connecting Melbourne to Perth, Perth to Christmas Island, Christmas Island to Singapore, and Christmas Island to Darwin. Perth, Darwin, and Brisbane are key beneficiaries of this investment and are now emerging as key nodes on the global internet utilising the competitive and diverse subsea and terrestrial infrastructure established by the Vocus network. Vocus will be in a position to supply an initial 20-30Tbps of capacity per fibre pair on the announced systems, depending on the length of the segment.
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INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
INDUSTRY NEWS
CELIA moots new Caribbean-US submarine cable
Members of the CELIA consortium introduce CELIA, a new high-
22 Tbps per fibre pair, and providing an initial estimated capacity of more than 170 Tbps. CELIA is expected to go live in the third quarter of 2027. The members of the CELIA consortium are SETAR as the landing partner in Aruba, Orange as the landing partner in Martinique, Telxius as the landing partner in Puerto Rico and Boca Raton, U.S., while also offering 24/7 monitoring and security from its Network Operations Centres (NOC), and APUA
as the landing partner in Antigua. Alcatel Submarine Networks has been selected as the end-to-end supplier for the submarine cable infrastructure, connecting CELIA between the landing partners. The contract is already in force including
preservation in both terrestrial and marine neutral habitats at every stage of the project. The route selection and various infrastructures have been carefully studied to bypass the most sensitive areas
capacity “express” cable in the Caribbean region connecting Aruba, Martinique, Antigua, Puerto Rico, and Boca Raton in Florida. The new fibre cable known as CELIA, (Caribbean ELIte Alliance), will span over 3700 km and link key points in the Caribbean and North America, featuring a minimum of eight fibre pairs, offering a minimum of
and to apply the least invasive technologies.
options to increase capacity and to add
The consortium will work closely with NGOs and local authorities to ensure the preservation of ecosystems and the prosperity of local communities.
new landing points. The companies say the CELIA project incorporates high standards for environmental protection and biodiversity
HGC taps Ciena for Philippines DCI
Philippines ICT service provider and network operator HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC), is working with Ciena to deploy technology for HGC’s Data Centre Interconnect (DCI) service. To be implemented by Ciena partner CommVerge Solutions, Ciena’s 6500
Packet-Optical Platform powered by WaveLogic Ai coherent optical technology will support HGC in gaining better flexibility, improved scalability, and adaptability of its network. HGC is also leveraging Ciena’s 3928 routing and switching platform to improve efficiency of operations and
service consistency across applications. With Ciena’s optical and routing technologies, HGC says it can provide high-per- formance data centre connectivity with reduced latency to its customers. This collaboration enhanc- es HGC’s service offerings, giving its customers access
to seamless data transfers and ensuring business continuity. HGC will also use Ciena’s Navigator Network Control Suite to support rapid planning, provisioning, turning-up, and troubleshoot- ing of services, as well as the use of analytics and intelligent network control to optimise network performance.
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INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
MICHAEL LEBBY ELECTRO-OPTIC POLYMERS
It’s not often a potentially radical new technology comes on the market, but it seems that electro- optic polymers could be one. The concept of switching (or modulating) light using organic materials is not new, but in the drive for ever-higher bandwidth and low power consumption, the time could have come for this radical approach to optical switching (modulation). Optical Connections editor Peter Dykes spoke with Michael Lebby , CEO at Lightwave Logic, a company which has been working on the technology for a number of years and is now using it to develop applications for the communications industry. A REVOLUTION IN OPTICAL SWITCHING? ELECTRO-OPTIC POLYMERS
What are electro-optic polymers?
electro optic polymers because they knew about the bandwidth that comes with them, and so there was a lot of research funded by the likes of NSF and DARPA and American and European governments, and all the big multinationals had electro optic polymer programs. But in the late 80s or early 90s, somebody came up with WDM. But this meant you didn’t need the big bandwidths because you had different wavelengths going down the same pipe, so that took the excitement out of the use of polymers and a lot of the funding stopped. What really took off was Lithium Niobate and WDM. When I first joined Lightwave Logic in 2015, we wanted to make an external modulator from electro optic polymers. At the time, the requirements for polymers to get into telco were pretty strict, such as a 20-year lifetime, and extreme temperature ranges, which were all pretty difficult, however, data centres weren’t requiring those types of capabilities. The problem then, was the negative perception of the industry that they were not that reliable. What we’ve done at Lightwave Logic is focus on the materials and designed them to be robust, stable from light, temperature, and lifetime standpoints, and now we’re working on activation energies and proving reliability. Every customer has their own reliability requirements, but in general, they are not that far different, and so putting that data set together is where we are, and the negative perception has, for the most part, gone away. So I’m excited and I think we are progressing steadily. We’ve seen some demonstrations in prototyping, and suddenly, electro optic polymers are a candidate. Indium phosphide-based electro absorption modulators have been demonstrated at the level of performance, and I’ve seen some interesting work on
thin film Lithium Niobate (TFLN), even though it’s tricky to fabricate in silicon foundries.
PD
Electro-optic polymers is really a generic name for electro-optic chromophores, which is an
ML
So what does that all mean?
PD
organic material that has dipoles which can be aligned using an electric field, similar to liquid crystals. The same principle applies to electro-optic polymers, except it’s a solid material. However, in order to align the dipoles with a voltage, you have to heat the material up and soften it. When you take the field and the heat away, the dipoles remain in position. Then, when you apply electric voltage, you can make a small change to the optical refractive index. If you then put it into a Mach-Zender or slot type modulator structure, you can get more of the refractive index to be changed. The basic principle is switching or modulating light using an electric field, which is no different than semiconductor materials. However, the interesting thing about using organic materials is what is known as a velocity phase match, the phase matching of the material, and the velocity is pretty much aligned, and that allows extremely high bandwidths in the order of about a terahertz. This means you can design three dB electro optics, way over 100 gigahertz.
It means that electro-optic polymer-based devices can work fairly easily with those data rates
ML
that are being anticipated today using the standard encoding systems. Also, using organics over semiconductors means you don’t need a volt to drive the modulator, and now you have a device that can save power consumption. Indeed, you don’t have to have a driver because you can drive it directly from a DSP or an ASIC, because you’re within the CMOS capabilities. It’s also really small if you use a polymer slot modulator structure, then you have a very tiny form factor, and you now have a technique to speed up the natural silicon modulator that’s on a silicon photonics PIC. You can take this material, which is in powder form, add a solvent to it, put it in a dedicated spinner and spin it onto a 200-millimetre silicon wafer, meaning you can create polymer modulators using the silicon infrastructure on the wafer using standard fabrication techniques in a silicon foundry. This is an interesting attribute, because some of the competitive technologies, like TFLN or barium titanate (BTO) are complicated to fabricate in a silicon foundry. One key reason is that these materials are difficult to integrate into silicon because they’re significantly dissimilar to silicon semiconductors, and typically require wafer bonding. Fortunately, electro- optic polymers are an interesting new platform that has the performance that the industry is really looking for, and from that standpoint, I think it’s really exciting.
Is this a new technology?
PD
Electro optic polymers have been around for 30 to 40 years, when the telecom business was in the
ML
era of Ma Bell and Bell Labs, and we believed TDM was the answer to increased data rates. At that time, we looked at modulators, because we knew lasers were slow, so we looked at external modulators. People started looking at
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INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
MICHAEL LEBBY ELECTRO-OPTIC POLYMERS
How do you see the future of electro-optic polymers in telecoms? As I said, it’s not easy to get a brand-new platform accepted in the telecom and the datacom
and not change the infrastructure. That’s a good win, and if you have a technology that is neutral to either co-packaging or pluggable solutions, then you have a really interesting technology platform that has merit.
switch or modulate light, it will actually have some impact. I look at it as two buckets. One is the fibre-based bucket, which is where we are today, and then there’s the free space bucket where there’s lots of free space sensing type opportunities where this could be really useful in areas such as optical sensing, LIDAR and optical computing etc..
PD
ML
How do you plan to market electro-optic polymers and take the company forward? Lightwave Logic is a public company and we’re listed on NASDAQ, but we want to create a
environment. Look at the time it took for the large organic polymer companies to get OLED technology accepted. 15 years ago, all displays used LCDs, but today, everything is OLED. The fact is, these companies did enough testing on reliability, stability, robustness, and lifetime, to understand the failure mechanisms and mitigate them. We’re in
PD
Thank you.
PD
ML
standalone company. That’s why we’re not just trying to sell the devices, we supply electro-optic material through license agreements. Indeed, optical component players tend to get acquired, so we’ve come up with a business model that’s allows for high margins and good profitability. Our licensing model is designed to make sure our electro-optic material can scale, and folks that are even outside the industry can use it. I can’t stop people from kicking the tires if people really like what we’re doing, but certainly where we are today is we want to create a standalone company that really drives this material into modulator products and drives it, not only into the fibre optic communications arena, but also into quantum, storage, and space applications. I mean, there are other opportunities where when you apply a small battery level voltage and you can
the same game and so we are implementing the same things.
We’re showing the data centre folks that we have a technology platform that can scale in performance, not only in speed, but also in low power and the ease of manufacturing. Electro- optic polymers are a disruptive new technology and there’s many companies with disruptive new technology platforms and we’re just one of them. However, if your disruptive technology platform requires your network infrastructure to be disruptive, it’s probably not going to work that well, so you want to have a disruptive technology platform that has great performance but can slot or fit into an existing network and infrastructure, and that’s what we are aiming for. If you can you upgrade the optical components
Dr Michael Lebby, Chief Executive Officer, Lightwave Logic Inc.
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INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
INDUSTRY FOCUS TOP NEWS STORIES 2024
2024 was a very good year for the fibre optic communications industry, with some big names realigning their portfolios through either M&As or internal restructuring. In addition, market forecasts have been largely positive, particularly in relation to pluggable transceivers. Here are just a few highlights of the year as it draws to a close and we look forward to maintaining the momentum in 2025. NOKIA TO BUY INFINERA, DROP ASN IN PORTFOLIO REJIG FIBRE OPTIC INDUSTRY IN GOOD HEALTH
Probably the biggest deal of the year came in July, when in the space of 24 hours, Nokia announced plans to buy Infinera for US$2.3 billion and sell its Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) arm to the French government for around €350 million. Nokia says the deals demonstrate its commitment to active portfolio management
and focus on key strategic assets and improving the profitability of its Network Infrastructure business group. Nokia and Infinera said they see a significant opportunity in merging to improve scale and profitability, enabling the combined business to accelerate the development of new products and solutions to benefit customers.
The put option to sell Nokia’s submarine networks business ASN, to the French State, represented by the French shareholding agency Agence des Participations de l’Etat (APE), is subject to informing and consulting with the relevant employee representatives at ASN and Nokia. By divesting ASN, , the company says it can focus
its network infrastructure portfolio on growth opportunities in its core markets and further improve profitability of the Network Infrastructure business group.
VIAVI ACQUIRES SPIRENT FOR US$1.277 MILLION In March, optical test and measurement company VIAVI Solutions, agreed to acquire UK-based Spirent Communications plc in a cash offer of approximately US$1,277, or GBP1,005 million, which the Spirent 2.5 pence per Spirent share in lieu of a final dividend for the year ended December 31, 2023. The acquisition was expected to close during the second half of 2024, subject to shareholder approvals jumped 60% after it accepted the offer, rising as high as 174.90p, making it the top riser on the FTSE 250. “The Spirent Board intends to unanimously recommend this all-cash offer, which not only represents an
and other customary closing conditions, including Spirent shareholder approval and certain regulatory closing approvals. The Spirent directors who hold shares of Spirent have signed irrevocable agreements in support of the acquisition. Spirent’s shares
Thomas, chairman of Spirent. “With its strong management team, global scale and the cultural alignment between our businesses, we are confident that in VIAVI, we have found the right owner to take Spirent on to the next phase of its growth story.”
Board intends to unanimously recommend. Under the terms of the acquisition, Spirent shareholders will receive 172.5 pence per Spirent share in cash (the acquisition price). Spirent shareholders will also receive a special dividend of
attractive outcome for Spirent shareholders, but also provides a significant opportunity for employees, customers and other stakeholders through what is a highly strategic and highly complementary combination,” said Sir Bill
FTTH COUNCIL EUROPE LAUNCHES ESG PLATFORM
A new initiative from the FTTH Council Europe
unique position to propose a platform where companies can share ESG best practices, build a database of detailed carbon intensity information for all products (essential for the accuracy of Scope 3 reporting), and offer preferential access to the services of a consultant and a tool for organisations measuring their carbon
emissions for the first time. All companies active in Europe and providing FTTH network-related products and services, and each company joining the initiative can nominate up to three representatives per organisation. They can report their annual, carbon intensity (kg CO per household) confidentially, through the
aims to help all companies involved in the FTTH value chain to measure accurately their carbon footprint and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The FTTH Council Europe, as a non-profit organisation regrouping all stakeholders of the FTTH value chain, say it is in a
Carbon Intensity tool to the Sector database. In return, they will initially get access to the Sector Database, which provides precise carbon intensity values for most products and services in the FTTH value chain.
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INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
INDUSTRY FOCUS TOP NEWS STORIES 2024
OIF UNVEILS THREE CMIS AIs, WHITE PAPER
OIF has unveiled the latest Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) Implementation Agreement (IA) (version 5.3); the External Laser Small Form Factor (ELSFP) Pluggable CMIS IA; the Formfactor Specific Hardware Management (CMIS-FF) IA; and a new white paper. “These industry-critical IAs represent significant strides in advancing CMIS interoperability across the industry,” said Gary Nicholl,
OIF Board Member and Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group – Management co-vice chair, and Cisco. “These new standards not only enhance the functionality of modules but also streamline the integration process, reducing the time to market for new technologies.” Along with these new IAs, OIF has also released a white paper titled “CMIS: Path to Plug and Play.” This paper outlines how CMIS advertising enables hosts to
write generic software for managing CMIS-compliant modules, significantly reducing integration time and accelerating the deployment of new capabilities in end-user networks. By promoting a standardised provisioning model, this white paper highlights how CMIS 5.3 enhancements pave the way for true plug-and-play functionality in the industry. “The launch of the Path to Plug and Play white paper underscores OIF’s
commitment to simplifying and accelerating the deployment of CMIS,” said Ian Alderdice, OIF PLL WG – Management Co-Vice Chair and Ciena. “By providing a clear path to plug-and- play capabilities, we are empowering the industry to meet the growing demands of high-speed networks with greater efficiency and reliability.”
PRYSMIAN AWARDED US$96.5 MILLION IN STERLITE LAWSUIT
SALES OF OPTICAL TRANSCEIVERS EXCEEDED US$3 BILLION IN Q2 2024
Prysmian won its trade secrets case against its competitor Sterlite Technologies, Inc. and Prysmian’s former executive, Stephen Ssymanski. On August 9th, a South Carolina jury found in favour of Prysmian following a three- week jury trial in U.S. District Court in Columbia, South Carolina. The jury found that Sterlite was unjustly enriched by taking Prysmian’s trade secrets and awarded US$96,500,000 in damages against Sterlite Technologies, Inc. In addition, the jury found that Stephen Ssymanski had been unjustly enriched by misappropriating Prysmian’s trade secrets and awarded US$200,000 against Mr. Ssymanski, personally. Mr. Ssymanski ran Prysmian’s optical fibre cable business in North America, and departed Prysmian for Sterlite, a direct competitor, in August 2020.
LightCounting’s latest Quarterly Market Update report shows that leading vendor’s combined sales set a new record at just over US$3 billion in Q2 2024 – an increase of more than US$1 billion from the same quarter 2023. Sales of Ethernet transceivers increased by 100% year-over-year. Most of the growth came from strong demand for 400G and 800G modules. The second half of 2023 was much stronger compared to the first half of last year, so doubling sales will be a lot more difficult in Q3 and Q4 of 2024 on a y-o-y basis. It says leading transceiver vendors must reach the limits of their capacity for 100G per lane modules, while starting to plan for 200G per lane transceivers. Shortages of components, proliferating across the supply chain, will also limit the growth. The report also finds that sales of optical
misappropriating trade secrets and taking them to his new employer Sterlite, a direct competitor. Sterlite and Ssymanski denied that they had taken anything from Prysmian. At trial, Prysmian ultimately proved that Sterlite had taken thousands and thousands of pages of Prysmian’s confidential information and trade secrets. The materials in Sterlite’s possession included information about Prysmian’s customers, information about Prysmian’s newest products, and information about Prysmian’s plans to expand its manufacturing plants. Much of the information was found in the possession of not just Ssymanski and Sterlite, but also in the possession of executives at Sterlite’s global headquarters in Pune, India.
transceivers for telecom applications remained weak, but there are some signs of improvement, suggesting a stabilisation of demand in the second half of 2024. Combined revenues of telecom equipment suppliers were down 6% y-o-y, but up 14% sequentially. LightCounting says the demand for Ethernet optical transceivers closely follows the spending of key customers – the leading Cloud companies. Alibaba and Alphabet increased their spending by more than 90% and Microsoft by 55% in Q2 2024 on a year-over- year basis, and Nvidia’s revenues were up 122% and Broadcom’s up 47% y-o-y.
Prysmian filed its lawsuit in June 2021, accusing its former executive of
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INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
INDUSTRY FOCUS PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS 2024
The advent of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is making demands on bandwidth, latency, power reduction, and speed that the communications industry has never previously experienced. True to form, and to its credit, the industry has responded, particularly in the area of optical packaging, with PICs which offer previously unimaginable performance. Here is just small sample of the many innovative products launched in 2024. 2024: AI/ML DRIVES PACKAGING INNOVATION INTEL’S 4TBPS SIPHO OCI CHIPLET
Intel has developed a 4Tbps bidirectional, fully integrated Optical Compute Interconnect (OCI) chiplet (pictured) based on its in-house Silicon Photonics technology, to address the AI infrastructure’s tremendous need for bandwidth and to enable future scalability. This OCI chiplet or tile contains a single Silicon Photonics Integrated Circuit (PIC) with integrated lasers, an electrical IC with RF
Through-Silicon-Vias (TSV), and a path to incorporate a detachable/re-usable optical connector. The OCI chiplet can be co-packaged with next-generation CPU, GPU, IPU, and other System-On- a-Chip (SOC) applications with high bandwidth demand. Intel says this first implementation paves the way toward providing multi- Terabit optical connectivity with a >4x improvement in shoreline density over PCIe Gen6, an energy efficiency
of <3pJ/bit, <10ns (+TOF) of latency, and a reach greater than 100 meters. This first OCI implementation is a 4Tbps bidirectional chiplet compatible with PCIe Gen5, supporting 64 lanes of 32 Gbps data in each direction over 10’s of meters, realised as eight fibre pairs each carrying eight DWDM wavelengths. Looking beyond this first implementation, the platform has line of sight to 32Tbps chiplets.
BROADCOM’S 51.2T CPO SWITCH
Coming on the back of news that Broadcom Inc. has extended AI optical component portfolio, the company delivered Bailly (pictured), which the company claims is the industry’s first 51.2 terabits per sec (Tbps) co-packaged optics (CPO) Ethernet switch, to its customers. The product integrates eight silicon photonics based 6.4- Tbps optical engines with Broadcom’s best-in-class StrataXGS® Tomahawk®5
switch chip. Broadcom says Bailly enables the optical interconnect to operate at 70% lower power consumption and delivers an 8x improvement in silicon area efficiency as compared to pluggable transceiver solutions. Details of the Bailly chip, were first announced at OFC 2023. Bailly integrates hundreds of optical components and hundreds of millions of transistors in a single optical engine. The high degree
of integration enables the placement of the optical engines on a common substrate with complex
logic ASICs minimising the need for signal conditioning circuitry. This allows the optical interconnect to operate at 70% lower power consumption as compared to pluggable transceivers. Bailly’s high- volume production is made possible by Broadcom’s manufacturing approach that utilises proven CMOS foundry
processes, advanced packaging technologies and a highly
automated high-density, edge- coupled fibre attach capability. Broadcom is co-designing platforms with cloud service providers (CSPs) and system integrators to accelerate adoption of CPO platforms.
AVICENA’S SCALABLE SUB-PJ/BIT CHIPLET
Avicena debuted its scalable LightBundle chiplet interconnect, which extends ultra-high density die-to-die (D2D) connections up to 10m at multi-Tbps/mm shoreline bandwidth density and sub-pJ/ bit energy efficiency. Based on Avicena’s LightBundle platform which supports shoreline density and energy efficiency, it unlocks increased performance from HPC and AI cluster
architectures. The LightBundle chiplet interconnect extends HBM and other ultra-high performance D2D connections up to 10m while dissipating < 1pJ/bit for the optical interconnect and supporting multi-Tbps/mm beachfront density. This enables GPUs and other high-performance ICs to greatly increase their total IO bandwidth, accessing vastly more HBM and relieving
inter-processor bottlenecks. The LightBundle chiplet is compatible with standard multichip packaging and supports a wide range of D2D interfaces including standard and advanced versions of UCIe and BOW. Avicena is working with selected partners on different implementations. Initial prototypes will be available in the second half of 2025.
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INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
INDUSTRY FOCUS PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS 2024
DUSTPHOTONICS’ 1.6TBPS SILICON PHOTONICS ENGINE
DustPhotonics launched what the company says is the industry’s first merchant silicon photonics engine for 1.6Tbps DR8 applications, targeting AI and hyperscale data centres. The engine supports 8 channels, each independently capable of operating at up to 224G/ channel. Additionally, a second variant is available supporting four channels for 800Gbps DR4 applications. Both versions of the engine integrate on-board lasers
for short-reach applications up to 100m, is also available that will use a single laser instead of 2 lasers for 1.6Tbps operation. In addition, the products are highly suitable for LRO (Linear Receive Optics) and LPO (Linear Pluggable Optics) transceiver applications and can be employed in immersion cooling applications. The products are currently available for sampling and will be released to production by the end of this year.
mounted onto a transmit Photonics Integrated Circuit (PIC), incorporating DustPhotonics patented L3C™ (Low-Loss Laser Coupling) technology. The engine offers numerous benefits to transceiver suppliers, including a simplified transceiver design
with low power dissipation, low optical loss, lower overall cost, and enhanced supply chain scalability. The devices will support a multitude of AI and hyperscale datacentre applications. The standard product is suitable for reaches of up to 2km. A lower-cost version, tailored
VIAVI’S BENCHTOP MICROSCOPY SOLUTION
COHERENT’S SPECIALTY OPTICAL FIBRE
Coherent Corp. launched a single-mode (SM), polarisation-maintaining (PM) erbium-ytterbium co-doped optical fibre for high-power 1550 nm, narrow linewidth, and single-frequency amplifiers. Coherent says it is now the first company to support pure SM, PM optical fibres for >20 W average power capabilities. It adds that the key innovation is merging exceptional high-power performance and superior beam quality to achieve performance characteristics previously unavailable. Additionally, it incorporates a design
in manufacturing passive optical components or for beam delivery. Coherent offers a diverse range of complimentary erbium- ytterbium co-doped fibres, which are customised with various compositions, numerical apertures, and large-mode fields to suit virtually any application. The PM-EYDF-10P/130-XPH and matching passive optical fibre products are available immediately.
Viavi Solutions Inc. has introduced a new optical connector inspection solution for next-generation transceivers. The FVAM- 2000 (pictured) is the latest addition to the company’s benchtop microscopy. The company says parallel optic connectors, including multi-fibre push on (MPO), are driving a need for new and advanced inspection test methods to simplify operation and workflow in manufacturing. The FVAM-2000 addresses MPO and other new bulkhead connectors designed into 800G formats, such as the octal small form factor
pluggable (OSFP) and quad small form factor pluggable (QSFP), that are propelling the industry today. This inspection solution features an easy-to-attach, easy-to- change connector interface that is specifically designed to accommodate bulkhead- type devices. The FVAM-2000 leverages the VIAVI panoptic microscope engine yielding brighter, higher contrast images and faster panning performance. The FVAM- 2000 is also equipped with an automation framework that enables it to integrate into a PC-driven workflow, critical in high-volume manufacturing environments.
that emphasises manufacturability and lightweight construction, featuring a 130 µm geometry made possible by a proprietary Coherent manufacturing technology. To ensure customers achieve the best beam quality and coupling efficiency, Coherent offers precision- matched passive fibres that may be used
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THE YEAR AHEAD
It’s that time again when we ask industry experts to predict the trends and developments we can expect to see in 2025. Infinera’s senior vice president, Marketing Rob Shore shared his thoughts, and Andreas Rüsseler , CMO at Reichle & De-Massari AG offered some findings from the company’s annual research into technology and market developments in Data Centre, FTTx, and LAN. THE YEAR AHEAD
Rob Shore: 2025 promises to be an exciting year for telecommunications networks. As artificial intelligence continues to challenge virtually all aspects of networking, solution providers will need to get creative to help network operators tackle these challenges. The biggest hurdle will be cost-effectively keeping up with the relentless pace of bandwidth growth, especially with the rapidly changing connectivity requirements resulting from data centres popping up in a wider variety of geographical locations due to limitations in real estate and power availability. To meet this challenge, 2025 will see a rush to embrace simplified network architectures and rapid adoption of lower-cost, power-efficient coherent pluggable optics. While these solutions will take some time to fully deploy, 2025 will see a slew of new solution announcements and new RFPs from network operators. One thing is certain – network operators cannot use traditional approaches to address these new challenges.
overcome their current fibre capacity limits. While bandwidth continues to grow at impressive rates, we have reached the point of diminishing returns on increasing capacity per fibre. As such, solution providers will need to get creative in finding ways to increase overall network capacity. Solutions will range from increasing the usable spectrum on the fibre to multi-fibre optical line systems. Both approaches pair nicely with coherent pluggable optics, which deliver improved cost and power efficiency while also being less spectrally efficient. Inside data centres, significant changes are on the horizon. Many traditional electrical connections will need to transition to optics as electrical connections run out of steam. This will give rise to new types of optical solutions optimised for intra-data centre applications, such as linear-drive pluggable optics (LPO), linear receive optics (LRO), and co-packaged optics (CPO). Moreover, due to the limitations on how much computing can be stuffed into a single data centre, 2025 will see an increase in multi-building campus-style data centre deployments. This will drive the need for new optical connectivity
solutions optimised around the 1-40 km distances between those facilities.
All in all, 2025 will be an interesting year as AI deployments ramp up, bringing new challenges and driving the need for increasingly innovative solutions in network design and optical connectivity. PUBLIC NETWORKS Andreas Rüsseler: Driven by growing demand for high-speed, low-latency internet, public networks are undergoing rapid transformation. The rise of IoT devices, AR/VR, remote working, gaming, and video streaming has significantly increased data traffic and reliance on robust fibre infrastructure. Fibre expansion, especially in urban areas, is essential to this. Connectivity disparities in rural areas persist and require innovative and cost-effective solutions. Advanced technologies, such as Passive Optical Networks (PON), Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM), and innovations like Fibre to the Room (FTTR) and Fibre to the Antenna (FTTA), are pivotal in supporting the demand. We’re seeing development in rural areas using robust fibre optic technologies, suitable for outdoor use, as well as expansion of fixed wireless transmission in rural areas.
Additionally in 2025, network operators will be searching for new innovations to
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THE YEAR AHEAD
Despite opportunities, the public network market is facing challenges such as economic fluctuations, competition in high-penetration areas threatening profit margins, and slow infrastructure investment. Shortages of skilled professionals are leading to delays and costs, while legacy technologies hold sway in some regions. Moreover, convergence of mobile, fixed, and data transport networks requires seamless integration, presenting technological and regulatory obstacles. SOLID OUTLOOK In 2023, FTTH/B penetration reached new milestones, with the UAE leading globally at 99.3% coverage. Europe also witnessed significant growth, with EU27+UK FTTH/B coverage increasing from 55.1% in 2022 to 64.5% in 2023. Market valuation projections for FTTH indicate robust growth. Key drivers include government investments to bridge the digital divide, technological innovations, and demand for scalable, faster deployment solutions. While near-term investment may be slow, growth and modernisation should accelerate, shaping a more sustainable, inclusive digital infrastructure. Deploying energy-efficient, resilient fibre-backed solutions aligned with green goals can modernise networks and prepare for future demand. Innovations such as modular and scalable solutions can facilitate this transition. DATA CENTRES DCs are rapidly transforming to meet the increasing demands of AI, sustainability, and power density. Hyperscalers are making vast investments in AI infrastructure. Changes are driven by a need for greater computing power, enhanced sustainability, and innovative technologies such as edge computing. Increasing data volumes and complex processes necessitate architectural and infrastructural advancements, including higher-density, high-performance computing units, improved connectivity, and efficient heat management. There’s also an increasing demand for local computing power due to the need to keep latency minimal. These challenges can be addressed with solutions such as modular cabinets, advanced connectors, and real-time monitoring, while optimising performance and space utilisation. AI is reshaping DC infrastructure, demanding localised, high-performance computing to support data-intensive applications. Higher power densities require liquid and hybrid cooling. Edge data centres enable faster AI-driven data processing and closer integration with IoT devices but bring challenges related to site selection, security, and remote management. Energy demands are making sustainability a priority. Meeting governmental sustainability standards has become a key operational
focus. Projections from Goldman Sachs suggest that DC energy demand could account for up to 4% of global power consumption by 2030, further emphasising the need for energy-efficient infrastructure and innovative cooling solutions. Boosted AI server performance and the corresponding increase in power consumption – by as much as a factor of 10 - is leading to the integration of liquid cooling in data centres. MEETING EVOLVING DEMANDS WITH HIGH AVAILABILITY As data networks grow in complexity, cybersecurity remains critical. AI- driven monitoring solutions can help proactively detect and address threats. Integrated hardware and software, automated management systems, and ‘digital twins’ can optimise operations and enhance decision-making, and power-efficient technologies, such as liquid cooling, advanced grid structures, and compact optical switches support high-speed, scalable data transmission. These advancements support scalability, sustainability, and regulatory compliance, enabling DCs to meet evolving demands while maintaining high availability and minimising service disruptions. By embracing modular, scalable, and sustainable solutions, and advanced technologies, data centres can adapt and maintain resilience in an increasingly data-driven world. LOCAL AREA NETWORKS LAN solutions are rapidly transforming to meet demands for speed, reliability, and adaptability in office, enterprise, and industrial settings. Adoption of Power over Ethernet (PoE), Single Pair Ethernet (SPE), and intelligent monitoring are growing, enabling more efficient, scalable, and future-ready networks. Hybrid cabling, combining fibre and copper with power provision, is gaining traction due to its ability to support high-speed data and power transmission within a unified infrastructure.
expanding, facilitating edge computing and integration of IoT devices, sensors, and cameras in smart buildings. The global PoE market is expected to grow significantly, reaching US$8.9 billion by 2032. While RJ45 technology remains critical, SPE is increasingly supplementing it for applications requiring longer reach, such as smart buildings. Standardised integrated rack solutions are increasingly in demand along with solutions for facilitating smarter energy management solutions in industrial settings. Automated monitoring of LAN performance ensures reliability in complex environments. The smart building market is forecasted to grow significantly, necessitating infrastructure modernisation. Intelligent solutions, including modular racks and integrated monitoring systems, are proving vital for industrial environments. These solutions enhance reliability, energy efficiency, and security, supporting initiatives like Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing. Renovations and retrofits of existing infrastructure are required to enable and fully leverage smart capabilities and integration with IoT and AI-powered systems is needed for real-time data and resource management.
LAN upgrades are critical for smart buildings, enabling seamless
communication among IoT devices and centralised systems. These developments align with EU climate targets and demand integration with AI-powered resource management tools. FTTX, DCS AND LAN IN 2025 AND BEYOND… Rapid developments in bandwidth, power, and length are shaping performance demands, but no single solution covers all challenges. Various specialised approaches are emerging, each targeting different needs. However, making sure everything you decide to use works together perfectly is essential. What’s more, the fully integrated combined solution needs to be future- proof and scalable. By embracing a system-wide approach, you can ensure superior support, performance, and adaptability for the future.
SIGNIFICANT GROWTH PROJECTIONS
The hybrid fibre market is projected to double in size by 2028, driven by increasing data and power needs. PoE is
Rob Shore Senior Vice President, Marketing, Infinera
Andreas Rüsseler CMO, Reichle & De-Massari AG.
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MATTHIAS GERBER HYBRID CABLING
The latest generation of wireless access points are exceeding the transmission capacities of conventional structured, copper-based LAN cabling, writes Matthias Gerber , Market Manager LAN Cabling at Reichle & De-Massari AG. New technologies are significantly increasing transmission rates in local wireless networks. 5G DAS systems are offering transmission speeds up to 25Gbps, for example. Theoretically, 9.6Gbps can be achieved with Wi-Fi 6, and it is already possible to achieve up to 30Gbps with Wi-Fi 7. Wi-Fi 7 was officially released earlier this year and is being adopted rapidly and Wi-Fi 8 might be expected around 2029 or 2030. HYBRID CABLING AND DIGITAL CEILING SOLUTIONS: KEEPING UP WITH NEXT-GENERATION WIRELESS
H ow to best connect access points to these using fibre optics. But at the same time, power should ideally be provided via the data network (PoE). Wi-Fi 6 and future Wi-Fi 7 access points require high data throughput as well as significant power to operate efficiently. Adding power to data cabling offers exactly that, while also simplifying the installation process by reducing the need for separate power supplies. This helps streamline the deployment of wireless infrastructure. next-generation local area data networks? The most attractive solution is to connect terminal equipment HYBRID CABLING – THE LOGICAL NEXT STEP In short: hybrid cabling – where a copper power cable is routed parallel to the fibre cabling – is the next logical step. A hybrid cabling solution can support various types of data transmission, including ethernet, voice, video, and power, all through a single infrastructure. This reduces the need for multiple separate cabling systems. As network requirements grow, hybrid cabling systems can be easily expanded. New devices and technologies can be added without the need for a complete overhaul of the existing cabling infrastructure. Hybrid FO cabling systems with Single Mode Fibres accommodate emerging technologies by design, and that makes it a lot easier for the network infrastructure to grow with increasing demand in the future without extensive rewiring. Some end device manufacturers are already promoting this solution and propagating hybrid point-to-point cabling. However, there are several things to consider when specifying and
implementing a solution. If the hybrid patch cords are drawn into an installation in a pre-assembled state, loss rates of up to 20% may occur. In operation, if a connector is damaged during patching, all the installed cabling needs to be replaced, leading to additional costs and delays. Pre-assembled patch cords come in predetermined lengths and configurations, which can limit their flexibility in meeting specific installation requirements. This can lead to excess cable length that needs to be managed or insufficient length that doesn’t reach the desired connection points. Excess cabling length can be very difficult to work with in tight or congested spaces, such as within racks or enclosures. Of course, there might also be compatibility issues if the
pre-assembled patch cords do not match the specific connector types or standards used in the existing infrastructure. This might necessitate additional adapters or converters, introducing complexity and potential points of failure. THE DIGITAL CEILING APPROACH A ‘digital ceiling’ approach to structured LAN – essentially an overhead zone cabling infrastructure concept – offers several practical advantages over using pre-assembled patch cords. Network devices are connected to simple patch cords. These provide one fibre- optic connection and one copper power connection on either side of a permanent link. Fibre and power cables are connected to separate ports in the
Balanced Power over Ethernet currents
Image: R&M
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