Lightpath deployed the industry’s first 400 Gbps protected optical circuit using advanced pluggable technologies from Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Nano optics. The deployment enables Lightpath to support hyperscale customers with mission-critical services over a 200-mile (320 km) geographically diverse route. The solution also incorporates rapid failover times and crosses several water bodies, all while reducing power consumption and maintaining high performance.
• Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Nano pluggable optics require 50% less space compared to standard transponders.
To meet the needs of their hyperscale customer, Lightpath worked with Ciena to design a customized solution that integrated Lightpath’s dense fiber network with Ciena’s 6500 packet optical platform. The 400 Gbps circuit covers approximately 200 miles (320 km) and involves an average of 8 points-of-presence (POPs) per side of the circuit, maintaining signal integrity and high-speed switching. The innovative design reduced circuit handoffs by half, meeting the customer’s stringent requirement of failover times under 50 milliseconds.
- Lightpath and Ciena deployed the first known 400 Gbps protected optical circuit.
- The circuit spans approximately 200 miles (320 km) and crosses multiple water bodies.
- The design reduces electricity usage by 80% while maintaining failover times under 50 ms.
- Ciena claims its WaveLogic 5 Nano delivers the highest 400G pluggable performance in the industry leveraging 70GBaud symbol rate and requires 50% less physical space compared to standard transponder deployments.
“This protected 400G solution, in support of a hyperscale customer, exemplifies Lightpath’s innovative approach to exceed our customer’s network requirements. Together with Ciena, we have pushed the boundaries of high-availability bandwidth solutions, while also utilizing power- and space-efficient technologies.” — Chris Morley, CEO, Lightpath.
