What does Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme deliver for its customers?
WaveLogic 5 Extreme tackles a key challenge many network providers are facing today: the need to satisfy users’ demand for increased levels of connectivity while at the same time decreasing network costs.
With programmable capacity from 200G to 800G, Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme brings new levels of scale, programmability, and economics to optical networking and the ability, for the first time, to evolve to high speed, ubiquitous 400GbE connectivity across any path in the network.
WaveLogic 5 Extreme redefines what’s possible in optical transport by providing significant network performance improvements: double the data throughput per wavelength along with reduction in overall power, space, and system complexity. Who would have thought it was possible to transport 600Gb/s of capacity per wavelength across >1,000km distance, or >400Gbps across a 9,000km transpacific link? WaveLogic 5 Extreme is powering networks with these capabilities today.
What does the adoption of 800G mean for the industry and future innovations?
With the industry’s first and only commercially available 800G solution to date, Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme sets the bar for coherent optical technology innovation.
With programmable 800G, service and content providers can transport more throughput for every wavelength they deploy, and across longer distances without regeneration. They can offer higher connectivity services all while evolving to a greener network by reducing footprint and energy consumption, by 50% or more, compared to previous generation technologies. With WaveLogic 5 Extreme’s ability to offer efficient 400GbE client connectivity at any distance, providers can also take the next step in network evolution and elegantly upgrade to next generation 400GbE router architectures.
These advancements are key in supporting the growing digital economy which relies on reliable and efficient transport of content to meet user demand. The need for more connectivity has made programmable optical networks even more critical, and WaveLogic 5 Extreme leverages the latest in coherent optical innovations to maximize networking efficiencies.
What’s next for industry after 800G, are we approaching the need for 1Tb single wavelength speeds yet?
The next top single-carrier wavelength speed will be 1.2Tbps or 1.6Tbps to continue to allow for efficient multiplexing of 400GbE client rates. The design objective remains the same: leverage the latest innovations in coherent DSP, high-bandwidth electro-optics and photonic integration to deliver increasing levels of capacity for every wavelength deployed, at any distance, to reduce cost/bit, as well as overall footprint and energy consumption.
What has been the impact of Covid-19 and remote working on these increasing network speeds? Has it created a demand for more?
As expected, our customers are reporting rapid growth in bandwidth demand as a result of the dramatic shift to the remote lifestyle many of us have adopted because of the pandemic. These demands stem from working from home, distance learning, e-gaming, streaming entertainment and other activities.
The unexpected strain that has been placed on our infrastructures because of this shift further reinforces the importance of having a network that adapts. Our technology and expertise continue to play a critical role in serving the world’s connectivity needs during these difficult times. We are laser-focused on delivering networks that can successfully adapt to ever-changing demands so that we can all stay connected.
What are the strategic priorities for Ciena in 2021?
We continue to evolve our solution offerings to power networks that can readily adapt to change and successfully support our customers’ evolving business requirements. We continue to increase our vertical integration, and are making the significant, requisite technology investments to address the wide range of network provider requirements for leading edge and deployable coherent packet optical solutions.
In addition to continuing to enhance our WaveLogic 5 Extreme offering with features such as encryption and L-band, we will start rolling out our WaveLogic 5 Nano family of footprint-optimized 400G coherent solutions, with the complete, integrated solution our customers expect for widescale deployment. The solutions are comprised of 100-400G pluggable coherent optics that are offered across our optical and packet networking platforms as well as in stand-alone modules, optimized photonic line systems, link engineering and network design tools, multi-layer operations and optimization with MCP domain controller and Liquid Spectrum analytic apps.
Visit Ciena.com to learn more about WaveLogic 5 Extreme
