ECOC 2018 - Lumentum intros Contentionless Wavelength Switch

At ECOC 2018, Lumentum introduced its next-generation, contentionless MxN Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS), adding to its extensive portfolio of Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) solutions for optical networking applications.

Lumentum's TrueFlex Twin 8x24 contentionless WSS delivers low loss, removing the need for Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) arrays in many network designs while enabling add/drop port scaling to support capacity growth in CDC networks. The WSS passband filters out wideband noise delivering high performance independent of port count and relaxes complex filtering requirements on transmitters and receivers. Eliminating EDFA arrays enables the delivery of higher density, lower cost, higher reliability, highly power efficient solutions.

Commercial availability is expected in Q1 2019.

"ROADMs have become critical network elements as they enable network operators to dynamically deliver and maximize network bandwidth on demand," said James Goodchild, director product line management, Wavelength Management products. "Current solutions which employ multicast switches are challenged to support the cost, density, and performance required by network operators in the future as they scale next generation Colorless, Directionless, Contentionless (CDC) networks. Only the contentionless MxN WSS, which takes a new innovative approach, provides the scale and performance benefits needed."