Verizon Enters the Terabit Era Carrying 1.2 Terabits Per Second with Acacia’s CIM 8 Module

By Acacia | Posted on February 5, 2024

Windstream Wholesale Conducts Its Own CIM 8 Trial Transporting 1 Tbps over 1,100km

As the first coherent module on the market to break through the terabit threshold, Acacia’s 1.2T Coherent Interconnect Module 8 (CIM 8) has proven its outstanding performance with multiple record breaking field trials across a wide range of applications. The most recent was Verizon with a successful 1.2 Tbps transmission over its live commercial fiber network in metro Long Island, NY.  And on the heels of that was Windstream Wholesale with a 1 Tbps wavelength over a 1,100-kilometer link across multiple routes on Windstream’s Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON).

Verizon Trial Demonstrates its Ability to Deliver Increased Speed, Reliability, and Overall Capacity
Leveraging the CIM 8’s advancements in terabit optics, Verizon was able to carry 1.2 Tbps of data using a single wavelength over longer distances through more nodes. In the trial, a 1.0 Tbps single-wavelength was transmitted over the Cisco NCS 2000 line system over 205km traversing 14 fiber central offices. In metropolitan networks, the number of central offices traversed is a key performance metric due to the progressive filtering and signal-to-noise ratio degradation as the wavelength passes through each office. Additionally in the trial, 800 Gb/s transmission was achieved over 305km through 20 offices and a 1.2 Tb/s wavelength traversed three offices.

According to Adam Koeppe, SVP of Technology Planning at Verizon, “We have bet big on fiber. Not only does it provide an award-winning broadband experience for consumers and enterprises, but it also serves as the backbone of our wireless network. As we continue to see customers using more data in more varied ways, it is critical we continue to stay ahead of our customers’ demands by using the resources we have most efficiently.”

Cisco’s Bill Gartner, SVP/GM Cisco Optical Systems and Optics, said “This trial demonstrates our commitment to continuous innovation aimed at increasing wavelength capacity and reducing costs. The Verizon infrastructure built with the Cisco NCS 2000 open line system supports multiple generations of optics thus protecting investments as technology evolves.”

Windstream Wholesale Trial Highlights Superior Performance of the CIM 8
Windstream Wholesale’s successful CIM 8 trial was enabled by the Cisco NCS 1014 C-Band 2.4T WDM Transponder Line Card with the CIM 8 module.  This transmission success showcased the high performance of the CIM 8, which was demonstrated over a third-party line system (150Ghz Channel). Following are the key wavelength transmissions that were achieved across Windstream ICON routes:

• Successful roundtrip transport of 1Tbps over 1,100 km from Miami to Jacksonville, Florida
• Successful transport of 800G over 1,387 km of mixed fiber from Miami through Tallahassee, Florida, to Atlanta, Georgia
• Successful roundtrip transport of 600G over 2,774 km from Miami, Florida, to Atlanta, Georgia

According to John Nishimoto, Windstream Wholesale senior vice president of products, marketing, and strategy, “This tremendous achievement further proves our commitment to technology leadership and networking expertise. We developed ICON to provide multi-vendor flexibility and seamlessly integrate the newest optimized technology into our disaggregated network. Achievements like this reinforce our 800G wave strategy and offer improved design and network planning options among our 100G and 400G solutions.”

The Growing Number of CIM 8 Trials
Verizon and Windstream Wholesale are just the latest providers to join the Terabit Era using Acacia’s CIM 8 module. Previously, Nysernet, China Mobile and Windstream Wholesale (in their first CIM 8 trial) announced record breaking field trials over ultra long haul, long haul and regional distances.  As all these trials demonstrate, the CIM 8 enables network operators to achieve the highest capacity and reach today while maximizing transmission data rate across a wide range of multi-haul network applications.

The CIM 8 Provides Full Network Coverage While Achieving 65% Power-per-Bit Savings Over Current Competing Solutions
Acacia’s CIM 8 enables full multi-haul network coverage as the high baud rate capabilities transport nx400GbE client traffic across a service provider’s entire network. As this previous blog discussed, the CIM 8 doubles the baud rate from the prior generation to achieve 140Gbaud capability while also leveraging the power of silicon technology to obtain cost and power advantages. These advancements have enabled the CIM 8 to provide 65% power-per-bit savings compared to current competing solutions that utilize alternative optical material systems.

Join the Terabit Era
If you’re ready to join the Terabit Era with CIM 8, contact us to schedule a field trial.