II‐VI confirmed shipment of its 400G ZR+ QSFP-DD-DCO transceiversto Windstream Wholesale for field qualification.
II-VI’s 400G transceivers leverage digital coherent optics and offer optical output power of 0 dBm. The transceivers can plug directly into QSFP-DD transceiver slots on IP routers.
II-VI said Windstream can leverage this technology to optically connect routers directly to access, metro, and regional DWDM transport networks without additional intermediary interfaces, eliminating an entire layer of optical equipment and thereby significantly reducing both capital and operational expenditures.
“We’re excited to begin qualification with Windstream ahead of our original schedule,” said Matthias Berger, Vice President, Coherent Technology, II-VI Incorporated. “This 400G transceiver is based on our advanced and proprietary indium phosphide technology, which is uniquely suited to achieve high output power levels of 0 dBm while remaining within the power consumption requirements of QSFP-DD.”
“This 400G transceiver is truly a game-changing technology that will make IP-over-DWDM a reality on Windstream’s ICON network,” said Buddy Bayer, Chief Network Officer at Windstream. “II-VI moved at an accelerated pace to deliver these transceivers, putting us on track to expand 400G wavelength services to large wholesale and hyperscale customers as early as the second half of calendar year 2022. Our ‘fast and flexible’ approach is demonstrated once again through the right strategic partners.”
Windstream and II-VI to develop 400G QSFP-DD pluggables
Windstream Wholesale is working with II-VI to co-develop next-generation, 400G transceivers. The companies said their joint work will:
- Deliver the world’s first high-performance 0 dBm, 400G QSFP-DD coherent pluggable module—making these transceivers compatible with existing and emerging modern ROADM based photonic layers supporting multi-service, multi-layer architectures;
- Significantly increase 400G transceiver density by drastically reducing the size and power demands of 400G pluggables relative to sled-based and even CFP2-based solutions;
- Reduce capex and opex by allowing for direct insertion of high-performance coherent optics into current 400G enabled routers, based on the smaller form factor; and
- Open up a direct technical path for the further evolution IP-over-DWDM with ROADM-based photonic layers, extending the application space beyond simple point-to-point DCI style networks.