Verizon has successfully completed a field trial of 200G technology on a network route between New York and Boston.
The trial, which ran for more than a month on the live network, used the same hardware that currently supports Verizon’s 100G ultra-long-haul traffic, along with pre-production software to configure a Ciena Wavelogic3 coherent optical processor. The trial used 16QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) on a single wavelength with the typical 50GHz channel spacing to increase the amount of traffic carried.
Verizon said the test proves the ability to double spectral efficiency while reducing the cost per bit when compared with 100G technology.
“Verizon continues to lead the industry in next-generation technology research and take our network to the next level to meet future needs of our business and consumer customers,” said Ed Chan, vice president of network technology for Verizon. “This accomplishment is a key technology differentiator and lays the groundwork for Verizon to continue to deliver capacity relief in a robust and scalable way.”
“Proving greater spectral efficiency and a lower cost per bit, this trial illustrates the ability to double the traffic carrying capacity of optical channels with no change to the underlying infrastructure,” said Francois Locoh-Donou, senior vice president, Global Products Group, Ciena. “And the fact that this field trial was successfully conducted on a critical route of Verizon’s production network alongside live customer traffic demonstrates Ciena’s commitment to delivering innovative, real-world solutions that allow customers to extract additional value from existing infrastructure investments.”
