Ciena Adopts 40G Coherent Technology from Nortel

Ciena has integrated native 40G coherent and Adaptive Optical Engine technology into a new module for its CN 4200 RS FlexSelect Advanced Services Platform. Ciena said it is the first vendor to commercialize this technology, underscoring its commitment to adopt technology from the recently acquired Nortel Metro Ethernet Networks assets. Ciena's global footprint of CN 4200 customers includes numerous network operators for metro and regional infrastructures, managed service providers as well as government and enterprise users.


The module's advanced signal processing technologies includes Dual Polarization Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DP QPSK) modulation, coherent detection and electronic dispersion compensation. This allows 40 Gbps transmission even over impaired fiber that cannot be used for 10Gbps without the need for separate optical Chromatic Dispersion (CD) and Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) compensators. With an in-service upgrade, existing CN 4200 customers can obtain a four-fold increase in capacity with existing ROADM schemes, enhancing equipment scalability and avoiding network re-design.


Ciena is also integrating its 40G/100G Adaptive Optical Engine technology into a new FlexSelect Optical Shelf for the CoreStream Agility Optical Transport System as a value-added solution for the installed base. This new feature provides existing CoreStream customers -- which include numerous Tier 1 global network operators -- with the option to offer fully-managed, end-to-end 40G/100G wavelengths on their network across 10G-engineered links, allowing seamless and cost-efficient capacity upgrades in support of surging traffic demands on core networks while maintaining signal reach and performance.


The 40G coherent upgrade offering on CN 4200 and related network management functionality enhancements are expected in the second half of calendar 2010. The optical integration of 40G coherent capabilities on CoreStream is already complete, and the full solution entered into lab and field trials this month.
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