Partnering with II-VI, a provider of engineered materials and optoelectronic components, the new transceivers will significantly reduce costs, power consumption and network complexity.
“This game-changing partnership is a vital step toward making 400G wavelengths the default deployment service for large wholesale and hyperscale customers,” said Buddy Bayer (pictured), chief network officer at Windstream.
“II-VI’s high transmit power 0dBm 400G QSFP-DD DCO transceivers will enable Windstream to deploy greatly simplified network architectures, by optically connecting routers directly to access, metro, and regional transport networks without additional intermediary interfaces, eliminating an entire layer of optical equipment. This revolution in IP-over-DWDM network architecture achieves significant savings in upfront costs and ongoing expenses, affording Windstream a highly competitive operational model.”
This latest innovation will create 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.
It will also Significantly increase 400G transceiver density by drastically reducing the sie and power demands of 400G pluggables relative to sled-based and even CFP2-based solutions.
Reduce capital expenditure and operating expenditure by allowing for direct insertion of high-performance coherent optics into current 400G enabled routers, based on the smaller form factor.
It will also create 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.
“Our partnership with Windstream will fast-track the development of a disruptive 400G transmission technology that builds on our award-winning integrated coherent transmitter and receiver optical subassembly, or IC-TROSA, which itself is based on our advanced and proprietary indium phosphide technology along with our industry leading opto-electronic integration platform,” said Matthias Berger, vice president of coherent technology at II-VI Incorporated.
“Indium phosphide is the intrinsic enabler of the 400G transceiver’s high 0 dBm output power yet with low enough power consumption to be uniquely suitable for QSFP-DD.”
The news follows Windstream's announcement from February 2021 in which it deployed 400Gbps single-wavelength transmission across its long-haul network using compact, low-power, industry-compliant pluggable modules.
