Arelion, Sipartech, Vodafone Turkey Light up their Networks with High Transmit Power Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD Coherent Pluggable Module

By Acacia | Posted on March 8, 2023

Acacia’s 400G Pluggable Modules Capture More Than 50% Market Share

The aggressive ramp of 400G coherent pluggables has been faster than any previous coherent technology generation. Acacia’s comprehensive 400G pluggable portfolio in QSFP-DD, OSFP and CFP-DCO form factors and including support for 400ZR, OpenZR+ and Open ROADM MSA has led to its more than 50% market share in this category.

Field trials are now underway with several network operators looking to leverage Acacia’s newest 400G pluggable, the Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD module with high-transmit power for 400G transmission over ROADM line systems. With announcements already from Arelion, Vodafone Turkey, and most recently Sipartech, the Bright 400ZR+ module with greater than +1 dBm transmit power is proving to help network operators meet bandwidth demands while driving economies of scale on a common technology platform.

Cisco and Sipartech Successfully Test 400G Over 1,337 km to Deliver a More Efficient Transport Network for the Future
Cisco and Neutral European infrastructure carrier, Sipartech, announced the successful trial deployment of a 400G circuit using the Cisco NCS 5504 network convergence system together with the high transmit power Bright 400G ZR+ QSFP-DD optical module over 1,337 km.

For the trial, Sipartech used a Cisco chassis with the 400G QSFP-DD capable line cards over a third-party line system, with eight ROADMs, a typical ‘alien wave’ deployment for the Cisco Routed Optical Network. The routers were upgraded with the Bright 400G ZR+ QSFP-DD optics at both ends. The speed of the deployment was done within a few hours. This model negates a significant amount of physical hardware components, helping to reduce the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing the equipment.

The long-haul route used for this trial in the production network was from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand to Lyon, and back to Paris over mixed fiber. Sipartech has been deploying its own fiber and optical transmission networks in France and Europe since 2008, interconnecting major data centers to ensure high-quality services.

Following the trial’s success, Sipartech will use the Bright 400G ZR+ QSFP-DD high-power module to roll out 400G transponder-free services across its network footprint to connect more international businesses and ensure quality connections.

“With the interoperability of Cisco’s equipment, we can deploy our next generation 400G+ services with speed, simplicity, and flexibility to meet our customers’ needs, while optimizing energy expenditure and our carbon footprint as part of our global strategy,” said Julien Santina, Sipartech CEO.

Arelion Takes Next Step in Converging its IP and Optical Networking Layers
Arelion (formerly Telia Carrier) announced late last year that it was the first network operator to successfully demonstrate 400G coherent connections between Cisco 8000 and NCS 5700 router platforms over third-party open line system using Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD modules supporting high transmit power. On a live fiber route with existing ROADM infrastructure between Hamburg and Copenhagen, Arelion successfully leveraged the Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD between Cisco 8000 and NCS 5700 router platforms. The trial demonstrated the seamless integration of Routed Optical Networking with DWDM transponders carrying wavelength services.

“Multi-layer architecture has always been challenging to scale and operate due to decades of accumulated complexity. With this latest trial, Arelion demonstrated the possibility to simplify conversion and interoperability, bringing us closer to Routed Optical Networking that evolves cost structures, scalability and efficiency,” said Dariusz Solowiej, VP Network Technology & Customer Operations at Arelion. “400G coherent pluggables will help our customers secure high-performance connectivity at the lowest cost and help us grow our networks in scale as we continue to connect the world.”

Vodafone Turkey Provides Faster and More Reliable Services
Vodafone Turkey was the first operator in Turkey to test 400G speeds with multiple suppliers and network layers. In a trial conducted using the Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD modules and Cisco routers, a speed of 400G was achieved with optical routing between Vodafone’s data centers in Tuzla and Esenyurt.  According to Vodafone, this technology will enable them to provide faster and highly reliable services to its corporate and individual customers. It will also support the fight against global warming and climate change by increasing energy efficiency and reducing its carbon footprint.

Brightening ROADM Networks
With an optical transmitter power at least ten times greater than 400ZR, the Bright 400ZR+ QSFP-DD coherent module expands the applications that can be addressed by 400G coherent pluggable modules to include brownfield and greenfield metro/regional networks with reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) nodes. To learn more about the expanding use cases read this blog article.

For more information on the Bright 400ZR+ module or to discuss how any of Acacia’s 400G pluggables can meet the needs of your network, contact us.