Ciena brings data analytics to optical networking

• Ciena's WaveLogic Ai coherent DSP-ASIC makes real-time measurements, enabling operators to analyse and adapt their networks.     
• The DSP-ASIC supports 100-gigabit to 400-gigabit wavelengths in 50-gigabit increments. 
• The WaveLogic Ai will be used in Ciena’s systems from 2Q 2017.  

Ciena has unveiled its latest generation coherent DSP-ASIC. The device, dubbed WaveLogic Ai, follows Ciena’s WaveLogic 3 family of coherent chips which was first announced in 2012. The Ai naming scheme reflects the company's belief that its latest chipset represents a significant advancement in coherent DSP-ASIC functionality.  

Helen XenosThe WaveLogic Ai is Ciena's first DSP-ASIC to support two baud rates, 35 gigabaud for fixed-grid optical networks and 56 gigabaud for flexible-grid ones. The design also uses advanced modulation schemes to optimise the data transmission over a given link.

Perhaps the most significant development, however, is the real-time network monitoring offered by the coherent DSP-ASIC. The data will allow operators to fine-tune transmissions to adapt to changing networking conditions. 

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Merits and challenges of optical transmission at 64 Gbaud

u2t Photonics announced recently a balanced detector that supports 64Gbaud. This promises coherent transmission systems with double the data rate. But even if the remaining components - the modulator and DSP-ASIC capable of operating at 64Gbaud - were available, would such an approach make sense?

Gazettabyte asked system vendors Transmode and Ciena for their views.

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100 Gigabit and packet optical loom large in the metro

"One hundred Gig metro has become critical in terms of new [operator] wins"

Michael Adams, Ciena

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Optical transmission's era of rapid capacity growth

Kim Roberts, senior director coherent systems at Ciena, moves from theory to practice with a discussion of practical optical transmission systems supporting 100Gbps, and in future, 400 Gigabit and 1 Terabit line rates. This discussion is based on a talk Roberts gave at the Layer123's Terabit Optical and Data Networking conference held in Cannes recently. 

Part 2: Commercial systems

The industry is experiencing a period of rapid growth in optical transmission capacity. The years 1995 till 2006 were marked by a gradual increase in system capacity with the move to 10 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) wavelengths.  But the pace picked up with the advent of first 40Gbps direct detection and then coherent transmission, as shown by the red curve in the chart. 

Source: Ciena

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Latest coherent ASICs set the bar for the optical industry

Feature: Beyond 100G - Part 3

Alcatel-Lucent has detailed its next-generation coherent ASIC that supports multiple modulation schemes and allow signals to scale to 400 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps). 

The announcement follows Ciena's WaveLogic 3 coherent chipset that also trades capacity and reach by changing the modulation scheme.

"They [Ciena and Alcatel-Lucent] have set the bar for the rest of the industry," says Ron Kline, principal analyst for Ovum’s network infrastructure group.

 "We will employ [the PSE] for all new solutions on 100 Gigabit"

Kevin Drury, Alcatel-Lucent

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Ciena: Changing bandwidth on the fly

Ciena has announced its latest coherent chipset that will be the foundation for its future optical transmission offerings. The chipset, dubbed WaveLogic 3, will extend the performance of its 100 Gigabit links while introducing transmission flexibility that will trade capacity with reach.

Feature: Beyond 100 Gigabit - Part 1

"We are going to be deployed, [with WaveLogic 3] running live traffic in many customers’ networks by the end of the year"

Michael Adams, Ciena

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