Arelion and Ciena have completed the world's first 1.6 terabits-per-second (Tb/s) wavelength data transmission in a live network field trial.
The groundbreaking test, conducted on Arelion's 470km route between Ashburn and Virginia Beach, utilized Ciena's WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) technology.
The companies were able to dramatically boost network capacity between the two sites, which they said would help meet demands for services such as 5G, AI and machine learning, and cloud services.
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“This new benchmark reflects our ongoing investment in cutting-edge optical networking technologies that increase capacity and performance while reducing energy consumption to benefit our customers,” said Dariusz Solowiej, VP of network technologies and customer operations at Arelion.
“Our collaboration with Ciena is crucial in supporting global enterprises’ capacity needs amid rising power and colocation costs, helping us provide the reliable connectivity companies need to transfer massive data volumes at the fastest speeds available today.”
Ciena’s WL6e system utilizes coherent digital signal processing (DSP) technologies to improve energy efficiency and performance.
The trial also included the deployment of Ciena’s programmable 6500 Reconfigurable Line System (RLS), which is designed to simplify and automate network service reconfigurations.
The resulting improvements gifted Arelion with a 50% space and power per bit reduction and 15% higher spectral efficiency compared to previous generations.
Following the trial, Arelion will deploy WL6e across its network, helping it to deliver multiple gigabits-per-second services to support faster connectivity speeds.
“This significant milestone with Arelion serves as a template for service providers striving to improve the energy efficiency and scalability of their optical networks amid mounting bandwidth demands,” said Jamie Jefferies, VP and international general manager at Ciena.
“As the industry’s first 1.6 Tb/s coherent optic solution, WaveLogic 6 Extreme brings forth new innovative capabilities for optical transport, with forward-thinking service providers like Arelion leading the charge.”
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