21 March 2017

Oclaro gives first live 40km interoperability demo between 100G extended-reach QSFP28 and CFP2

In booth #2747 the Optical Fiber Comminications conference & exhibition (OFC 2017) in Los Angeles (21-23 March), Oclaro Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which provides components, modules and subsystems for optical communications) is giving what it claims is the first live interoperability demo showcasing a 100G ER4-Lite QSFP28 and CFP2 over 40km single-mode optical fiber (SMF), highlighting how ER4-Lite solutions are delivering the low power and low cost needed to expand 100G connections to the access and core networks where longer reach is required.

100G client interfaces are primarily used in data-center and metro networks where 10km reach is sufficient to cover most of the applications (intra-data-center, large or multi-campus or central-office connectivity). As 100G technology gets more widely deployed in less populated metro and access networks, network operators require 100G client interfaces to extend up to 40km without the use of optical amplifiers, notes Oclaro. The new ER4-Lite specification enables cost-effective 100G 40km pluggable solutions in compact QSFP28 transceivers that use forward error correction (FEC) and avalanche photodiode (APD)-based receivers. Oclaro says that it is now meeting this demand with ER4-Lite solutions for both the CFP2 and QSFP28 form factors.

“Just as Oclaro drove 100G into mainstream optical communications systems, we are now expanding our product portfolio to address the metro and access networks that require longer reach, lower power and higher faceplate density,” says Yves LeMaitre, president, Optical Connectivity Business at Oclaro. “The new ER-4 Lite standard, combined with the availability of QSFP28 solutions, will accelerate the market deployment of 100G 40km solutions,” he believes.

The QSFP28 ER4-Lite is sampling now and joins the ER4-Lite CFP2, which has been shipping in volume since 2015. To develop this transceiver, Oclaro leveraged its proven 28G electro-absorption modulated laser (EML) that has been used in Oclaro’s CFPx and QSFP28 LR4 product families. The ER4-Lite QSFP28 supports both 100GbE and OTU4 applications and supports up to 40km with FEC and up to 30km without FEC and will interoperate with existing ER4 solutions in the field up to 30km. The QSFP28 has been standardized by ITU-T as G.959.1 4L1-9D1F and is under standardization in the newly established 4-Wavelength WDM MSA Group.

Tags: Oclaro

Visit: www.ofcconference.org

Visit: www.oclaro.com