Acacia’s Delphi-powered coherent optical modules gained significant customer momentum with Colt Technology Services, Arelion, and Internet2 all completing successful trials. Colt and Arelion are leveraging Acacia’s 800G ZR+ coherent pluggable with OpenROADM compliant interoperable Probabilistic Constellation Shaping (PCS) while Arelion and Internet2 unveiled groundbreaking network field trials with Acacia’s 400G Ultra-long haul module (ULH).
Both the 800G ZR+ and 400G ULH are powered by Acacia’s 9th generation Delphi DSP ASIC featuring proven high baud rate design and performance. Below is a recap of each trial.
800G ZR+ Trial: Colt Cuts Power Consumption by 33% and Doubles Core Capacity
The Colt trial featured Acacia’s 800G ZR+ module in its production network using the Cisco 8000 series routers. Carried out across 667km between Frankfurt and Munich, Germany, the trial showcased how the high-performance, energy-efficient networking technology can support businesses on their net zero journey. It demonstrated that the network can handle incredibly high data rates of 800Gbps – transferring 1 Terabyte of data in just eleven seconds – and can be flexible in allocating bandwidth where it’s needed most, significantly improving overall efficiency and performance. The trial demonstrated that Acacia’s 800G ZR+ coherent optics can double Colt’s packet core capacity per link (800G) while reducing power consumption by 33.3%.
According to Colt, Acacia’s 800G ZR+ coherent pluggable enables interoperability capabilities between partners, using technology designed to maximize performance and reduce power consumption.
800G ZR+ Trial: Arelion Reduces CAPEX Costs by 66% and OPEX Costs by 95%
Arelion successfully completed a field trial on its long-haul route between Stockholm, Sweden, and Hamburg, Germany using Acacia’s 800G ZR+ coherent pluggable optical modules in Cisco 8000 series routers. The trial demonstrated IP transmission at 800 Gbps over 1,069 kilometers, providing higher cost savings than currently deployed technologies. Acacia’s 800G ZR+ pluggables reduce Arelion CAPEX costs by 66 percent and OPEX costs by 95 percent while allowing Arelion to fully utilize the port capacity of Cisco’s next-generation routers.
Acacia’s OpenROADM-compliant 800G ZR+ coherent pluggable optical modules, with +1 dBm transmit power, improve the energy efficiency of global networks by consolidating excessive hardware and simplifying overall architecture. These benefits empower internet carriers by providing higher cost savings and increased performance while lowering the number of interfaces to maintain. This field trial demonstrates how Arelion can significantly reduce power consumption and maximize bandwidth, enabling higher data speeds for wholesale and enterprise customers.
400G ULH Trial: Arelion Reduces CAPEX by 35% and OPEX Costs by 84%
Arelion’s live network field trial was completed on its route from Chicago to Denver with Acacia’s 400G ULH QSFP-DD coherent pluggable optical modules using the Cisco 8000 series routers. This trial demonstrated successful IP transmission at a spectrum of 112.5 gigahertz over 2,253 kilometers, with healthy margins, providing longer transmission distances and higher cost savings than currently deployed transponders.
This module enables Arelion to reduce network CAPEX by 35 percent and OPEX costs by 84 percent when expanding its network.
400G ULH Trial: Internet2 Demonstrates 400 Gbps Link Spanning Over 3,000 km
Internet2 and Cisco demonstrated a breakthrough in coherent optics technologies, achieving a 400 Gbps link over 3,000 km on the Internet2 national research and education (R&E) network. The field trial — conducted between Albany, New York, and Indianapolis, Indiana — required no modular transponders or signal regeneration, setting a new benchmark for router-to-router direct long-haul routed optical networking. This collaboration showcases industry advancements that improve efficiency and flexibility for high-performance networks using coherent pluggable modules. The results offer real-world benefits for the R&E community, enabling high-capacity, point-to-point connectivity on demand while reducing complexity, power, and equipment requirements.
The field trial leveraged Acacia’s QSFP-DD-based 400G ULH module, which uses less than 24 watts of power and can be plugged into existing 400G QSFP-DD based platforms. The system’s key transmission components are part of Internet2’s operational network infrastructure, including Cisco 8201 routers with a third-party line system.
Delphi-Powered Products Deliver Industry Firsts
Acacia was the first coherent module vendor to ship an 800G ZR+ module with interoperable PCS and the first to complete 400G ULH module trials.
- The 800ZR+ module includes both C-Band and L-Band support and is capable of >1dBm transmit power with high transmit OSNR over the entire C-band thanks to the integrated tunable optical filter to minimize adjacent channel interference in colorless ROADM architectures.
- Acacia’s 400G ULH module expands upon the Bright 400G ZR+ coherent pluggable module applications. It includes 400G QPSK and PCS with various baud rates to fit into different ROADM optical line systems and is designed to meet the power and electrical interface requirements of existing 400G slots already deployed.
For information on these modules, visit our product pages.
