16 September 2011

Infinera unveils first multi-terabit P-OTN network platform based on 500Gb/s PICs

Infinera Corp of Sunnyvale, CA, USA, a vertically integrated manufacturer of digital optical network systems incorporating its own indium phosphide-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs), has unveiled the DTN-X, the first multi-terabit packet-optical transport (P-OTN) network platform based on 500Gb/s PICs, and designed for global service providers facing increasing demands for bandwidth driven by video, mobile and cloud-based services. 

The DTN-X is purpose-built to integrate switching with DWDM without trade-offs in capacity. Its architecture extends the ease of use and reliability of Infinera’s DTN system in a new multi-terabit platform that scales for the future, is simple to operate, and efficiently reduces the number of elements in the network, says the firm. 

Infinera says that unabated growth in Internet traffic is driving operators to upgrade their networks to 100Gb/s and higher-speed optical transmission. The firm is introducing third-generation 500Gb/s PICs that integrate more than 600 optical functions and deliver what are claimed to be the first 500Gb/s super-channels, providing a foundation for the DTN-X’s superior scale, simplicity and efficiency. Infinera recently tested the fully functioning 500Gb/s PICs on the production network of pan-African telecoms provider SEACOM, demonstrating 500Gb/s of coherent transmission over a distance of 1732km, and earlier this year the firm presented test results for a 1Tb/s PIC.

Since most end-user services are currently 10Gb/s or less, global operators require integrated ITU G.709 Optical Transport Network (OTN) switching to groom traffic onto larger 100 and 500Gb/s pipes to maximize network utilization. The DTN-X will deliver 5Tb/s of non-blocking OTN switching in a single bay, and in subsequent releases will be upgradeable to resilient multi-bay configurations providing 100Tb/s of non-blocking OTN and MPLS (multi-protocol label switching). Unlike competitive offerings where integrating DWDM with switching was an afterthought, Infinera claims, the DTN-X is designed from the ground up to combine three unique technology building blocks — PICs, custom switching ASICs, and intelligent GMPLS software — enabling the DTN-X platform to be flexibly configured with up to 5Tb/s of DWDM or service interfaces in each bay, or any combination of the two, without any loss of capacity.

Infinera says that, while its Digital Optical Network has always been scalable, simple and efficient, the combination of the 500Gb/s PICs and integrated switching will allow the DTN-X to deliver the following benefits to global service providers:

• Scale for the future – The DTN-X is designed to help operators face future bandwidth demands by delivering 500Gb/s super-channels, upgradeable to 1Tb/s super-channels yielding up to 24Tb/s per fiber in the future. Initially the DTN-X will offer 5Tb/s of OTN switching capacity, upgradeable in the future to 100Tb/s (a fully equipped DTN-X is planned to have enough capacity to stream a movie to each of Netflix’s 23.6 million members simultaneously). 

• Simple to operate for rapid service deployment – The DTN-X is designed to converge layers of the network and support DWDM transmission, OTN switching and, in the future, MPLS switching in a single platform. The all-digital architecture, point-and-click automation and intelligent GMPLS software are designed to enable global service providers to rapidly deploy network capacity while lowering operational costs.

• Efficiency for the bottom line – Infinera says that the disruptive nature of its 500Gb/s PIC will enable the DTN-X to consume 33% less space and 50% less power than alternatives in a typical configuration. In a recent white paper that modeled a large pan-North American optical network it was found that the DTN-X required 69% fewer modules and 67% fewer chassis than competitive approaches (‘The Evolving Economics of Optical Network Design’, S. Ramasubramanian, University of Arizona, and S. Subramaniam, George Washington University).

“Our growth is continually driving the need for greater integration and efficiency within the network,” comments Stu Elby, VP of technology at Verizon. “Innovations such as photonic integrated circuits that enable terabit scale while adding efficiency with integrated transport and switching will be essential to extracting long-term economic value as the network scales to hundreds of terabits,” he believes.

Interoute, whose pan-European network was the first in Europe to deploy Infinera’s 100Gb/s PICs more than four years ago, is planning to use the DTN-X to continue to invest in the scale and reach of its European network. In March, it completed the first successful subsea field trial of a 500Gb/s PIC. “Interoute successfully exploited the previous generation of PIC technology, revolutionizing how high-capacity services were delivered in Europe,” says its chief technology officer Matthew Finnie. “We look forward to the DTN-X as the next evolution of the model that has consistently demonstrated cost and operational efficiency,” he adds.

“The DTN-X is a multi-terabit class platform that enables service providers to build scalable, simple and efficient optical transport networks, ultimately making them more profitable,” says Infinera’s president & CEO Tom Fallon. 

Infinera is introducing a full-rack, multi-bay-ready chassis and a half-rack chassis, both of which are planned for availability in first-half 2012. The DTN-X is interoperable with the DTN platform and is planned to support 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE), 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40GbE), 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100GbE), 10Gb/s SONET/SDH/OTN, 40Gb/s SONET/SDH/OTN, 100Gb/s OTN, 8/10Gb/s Fibre Channel, and multiple-bit-rate clear-channel interfaces.  

Infinera has also announced the availability of new capabilities on the DTN platform to support new services and further increase fiber capacity. These include new 40GbE and 100GbE service interfaces to support high-bandwidth data services. In addition, new DWDM line-cards are now available supporting 40Gb/s per wavelength coherent optical transmission, enabling the DTN platform to scale up to 6.4Tb/s of transmission capacity per fiber. The DTN and DTN-X platforms are designed to provide a seamless transition from 10Gb/s to 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s wavelengths, enabling global network operators to migrate their networks according to their bandwidth needs.

Tags: Infinera P-OTN network 500Gb/s PICs

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