Telecom equipment maker Ciena has powered Verizon’s 200G technology trials in the U.S.
Verizon’s successful field trial will enable it to double the capacity of a fiber by using 200G technology on Verizon’s ultra-long-haul production network between New York and Boston.
“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.
Ciena says the trial involved sending traffic approximately 260 miles. The trial is significant as it proves the ability to double spectral efficiency while reducing the cost per bit when compared with 100G technology.
By doubling the spectral efficiency, the 200G technology can help meet the robust traffic growth from such drivers as online video, LTE 4G and cloud usage.
The trial 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 on a single wavelength with the typical 50GHz channel spacing to increase the amount of traffic carried. 16QAM technology doubles the number of bits per wavelength, allowing for twice the data to be encoded when compared with standard 100G technology.
