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.
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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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www.opticalconnectionsnews.com
INDUSTRY FOCUS 2024/2025
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