Broadcom broadens portfolio of fiber optics, PHY, switching for 100/200/400/800G

Broadcom has expanded its portfolio of 100Gb, 200Gb, 400Gb, and 800Gb electro-optics platform solutions for data center and cloud networks. 

The rollout includes the first 100Gb PAM-4 VCSEL and multi-mode kit, proven 112Gb PAM-4 PHY with direct-drive technology, and uncooled 100Gb PAM-4 EML capability. The expanded portfolio complements Broadcom’s 12.8-Tbps Tomahawk 3 and 25.6-Tbps Tomahawk 4 switch platforms. Highlights:

100G PAM-4 VCSEL Kit and Uncooled EML

• More than 10M channels of 50Gb VCSEL deployed in cloud data centers
• Complete 100Gb MMF kit including VCSEL, PD, driver, and TIA addressing fast growing cloud demand
• Expanding production of uncooled 100Gb EML to meet low power dissipation and system cost requirements for hyper-scale applications
• Advanced 200Gb EML optics available in second half of 2021 to address cost and power consumption challenges for next generation 800Gb and 1.6Tb data center applications
• New optical components for 4x100Gb MMF kit targeting 400Gb and 800Gb applications:
• VCSEL: AFCD-V84LP
• PD: BPD3056-4
• Driver: AFSI-N94C4S2
• TIA: AFSI-R94C4S2
• New optical components for 100Gb/lane SMF kits:
• EML: 283QT1xx for 100/200/400/800Gb application
• TOSA: TX-E1x112-SU131 for 100Gb DR1 application

112Gb/56Gb PAM-4 PHY

• Industry-leading DSP performance and power efficiency enabling MMF and SMF optical transceivers to meet IEEE and all optical module MSA specifications
• Client-side interoperability with Broadcom merchant switch devices using proven industry leading 28-Gbaud and 56-Gbaud SerDes architecture and flexibility to support either 56-Gb/s or 112-Gb/s PAM-4 physical lanes
• Option to support direct drive capability from the PHY for 50-Gb/s per lane and 100-Gb/s per lane eliminating the need for an external laser driver
• Key PHY product families
• BCM874xx/871xx -- Centenario family with 50-Gb/s per lane client side to 100-Gb/s per lane for optical line side interfaces
• BCM878xx -- Portofino family with 100-Gb/s per lane client side and 100-Gb/s per lane for optical line side interfaces 
• BCM875xx -- Estoque family with 50-Gb/s per lane client side and 50-Gb/s per lane for optical line side interfaces

Broadcom will demonstrate multiple products based on 112Gb PAM-4 PHY with 100Gb PAM-4 EML and 100Gb PAM-4 VCSEL technologies running on Broadcom’s Tomahawk switch platform at the 2021 Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) from June 7th to 11th. 

Additionally, Broadcom is showcasing its latest 100Gb, 200Gb, 400Gb and 800Gb electro-optics platform solutions in the Broadcom OFC Virtual Exhibit.

“Broadcom offers a complete line of PAM-4 PHYs with direct drive capability that reduce power and cost while enhancing the ease of deployment,” said Vijay Janapaty, vice president and general manager of the Physical Layer Products Division at Broadcom. “Broadcom’s portfolio of optimized solutions for a wide range of optical and line card applications at both 50G/lane and 100G/lane enable customers to rapidly deploy leadership networking solutions to meet the demanding growth of hyperscale cloud datacenters.”

https://www.broadcom.com/company/news/product-releases/54656

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Corning intros bendable SMF-28 optical fiber

Corning introduced its SMF-28 Contour optical fiber featuring enhanced bend resilience, network compatibility, and industry-leading low loss characteristics.

Highlights:

• Superior bendability designed to reduce the impact of errors during installation and optimize reach in densely cabled environments where 5G networks are being deployed. SMF-28 Contour fiber is an ITU-T G.657.A2 fiber that has 10 times the macrobend resilience of G.652.D fibers and seven times the macrobend resilience of G.657.A1 fibers. The associated increase in microbend resilience enables dense, high-fiber-count cables needed to meet the demands of future high-capacity networks.
• 
  Exceptional compatibility with legacy networks while providing superior bend protection, which can mean up to 50% faster installation by minimizing corrective splice-loss work. Other G.657.A2 fibers also provide bend protection but with a compromised, lower mode field diameter. SMF-28 Contour fiber does not compromise, providing both G.657.A2 bend protection and a matched 9.2-micron mode field diameter in the same product.
• Wide spectrum and industry-leading low-loss transmission across all the wavelengths that constitute the communication systems of today and tomorrow. First, SMF-28 Contour fiber’s industry-leading low attenuation delivers 10% longer reach in all networks and up to 20% wider access-network coverage. Second, SMF-28 Contour fiber’s bend loss protection enables up to twice the network reach in new long-wavelength FTTH systems. Together, these features enable larger FTTH subscriber areas and greater revenue potential.

SMF-28 Contour fiber is available in a standard 242-micron configuration and a smaller 190-micron configuration. 

Corning says smaller-diameter designs are increasingly important because while bandwidth demands have grown, the space available for network infrastructure has not. The 190-micron version of SMF-28 Contour fiber enables smaller cables with higher fiber counts – maximizing use of existing infrastructure

“Corning’s revolutionary SMF-28 Contour optical fiber is the latest example of our ability to solve tough industry challenges,” said Dr. Bernhard Deutsch, vice president and general manager, Corning Optical Fiber and Cable. “Operators today are looking to deploy future-ready networks as efficiently as possible, often in densely cabled environments, and we’ve designed this new product to answer those needs. Fifty years after Corning scientists invented the first low-loss optical fiber, we’re proud to help drive a new era of industry growth and network transformation.”

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Lumentum intros 400G CFP2-DCO coherent modules, PAM4 DMLs with 2 km reach for 400G+

At next week's virtual Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) Lumentum will introduce new 400G CFP2-DCO coherent modules, enhanced PAM4 DMLs with 2 km reach for 400G+ applications, and expanded WSS capabilities.

The new high-performance 400G CFP2-DCO coherent transmission modules build on the company's existing its 200G CFP2-DCO coherent pluggable transceiver modules, enabling next-generation data center interconnects (DCI) and metro/regional to long-haul coherent networks at bit rates of 100G, 200G, 300G, and 400G. The new flex-coherent module supports all major industry initiatives including OpenROADM, OpenZR+, and OIF 400G ZR. It also adds numerous innovative proprietary modes when best performance is needed and cross-vendor interoperability is not. In addition, it supports L1 encryption, Link Layer Discovery Protocol, and Overhead IO channel. Currently, the 400G CFP2-DCO is shipping as beta samples with production release planned for the third quarter of 2021. To sample the 400G CFP2-DCO, contact a Lumentum representative at customer.service@lumentum.com.

High-Speed 100G PAM4 DML for up to 2 km Data Center Reach 400G+ Applications - Lumentum has enhanced its latest 100G PAM4 (53 Gbaud) directly-modulated laser (DML) to expand the usage from 500m for 100G DR and 400G DR4 and 100m for 800G PSM8 DR4, to also transmit up to 2 km for 100G FR and 400G FR4 CWDM transceiver module applications. These DMLs satisfy the needs of customers seeking lower cost and lower power consumption solutions by providing a smaller footprint with fewer components needed to operate in high-speed transceiver applications. To request beta samples of the new 100G PAM4 DML for 2 km applications, contact a Lumentum representative at customer.service@lumentum.com.

Expanded Capability for its TrueFlex wavelength selective switches (WSS) to now support all spectral bands, including C-band, L-band, and extended C-band for next-generation colorless, directionless, and contentionless (CDC) and colorless, directionless (CD) ROADM architectures. Additionally, Lumentum has reinforced their exceptional manufacturing scale with production, agility, and flexibility to rapidly respond to changes in requested build configurations and spectral bands across any of its high-performance WSS products. Lumentum's best-in-class lead on WSS delivery continues to be a critical enabler for network operators worldwide as they resume buildouts of massively-scalable and flexible high-capacity optical networks.

https://www.lumentum.com/en/media-room/news-releases/lumentum-highlight-and-present-latest-innovations-ofc-2021-virtual-event

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Fujitsu samples 100GBaud coherent receivers for 800G

Fujitsu Optical Components Limited (FOC) is launching a 100GBaud integrated coherent receiver for applications in 800 Gbps optical networks.

The device integrates 90-degree hybrid, balanced receivers, polarization beam splitter and VOA function into a small, single package using micro assembly technology. Sampling is underway.

The 100GBaud integrated coherent receiver supports three times higher symbol rates than the traditional 32GBaud integrated coherent receiver. This supports flexible QPSK and xQAM modulation methods from 32GBaud to 100GBaud, enabling optimization of the transmission distance and capacity of optical networks.

FOC notes that it is already developing  products for 130 GBaud and beyond.

https://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/foc/en/subsidiary-gig5-sample/about/resources/news/press-releases/downloads/20210601.html

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NTIA announces $1 billion in grants to expand broadband on tribal lands

Nearly $1 billion in U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) grants are now available to expand broadband access and adoption on Tribal land. 

The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Grants will be made available to eligible Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian entities for broadband deployment as well as for digital inclusion, workforce development, telehealth, and distance learning.

“These investments will help many Native American, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian communities gain long-overdue access to life-saving technologies, economic opportunities, remote learning, and countless other benefits,” said Secretary Gina Raimondo. “This funding is an important step forward, but we cannot stop here. Access to broadband is as essential as electricity to our everyday life. Under President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, we will have the resources to deploy high-quality broadband infrastructure to every Tribal community.”

“For generations, a lack of infrastructure investment in Indian Country has left Tribes further behind in the digital divide than most areas of the country,” said Secretary Haaland. “We have a responsibility as a country to build infrastructure that will fuel economic development, keep communities safe, and ensure everyone has opportunities to succeed. Today’s announcement marks a major stepping stone in the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to an all-of-government approach to ensure the federal government lives up to its responsibilities to Tribal communities.”

“We are excited to continue our work with Native American, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian communities to make this program a success,” said Acting NTIA Administrator Evelyn Remaley. “NTIA will leverage its deep experience with funding broadband programs to ensure that we make significant progress in eliminating the digital divide on Tribal land.”

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DT tests multivendor 5G voice over new radio (VoNR) call

Deutsche Telekom and partners completed the first 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) call in an end to end multi-vendor environment. 

The partners were able to verify the capability over a 5G Standalone (SA) network with voice and 5G data sessions in parallel. This network setup integrated a 5G Core from Ericsson and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) from Nokia. The calls were completed on commercial terminals from Samsung and Xiaomi and a Mobile Test Platform from Qualcomm. 

The demo took place on 5G standalone network infrastructure in test mode at Deutsche Telekom’s innovation lab in Warsaw, Poland. Ericsson provided its cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core platform and Ericsson Radio System products such as Baseband 6630 and Radio 4422 for mid-band 5G.

Alex Choi, SVP Strategy & Technology Innovation, Deutsche Telekom, says: “High quality and seamless voice calling remains a must-have service for our customers in the 5G era. The addition of 5G VoNR can be a differentiator for next-generation immersive applications that integrate highspeed 5G data with high-definition audio. Our collaboration with best-in-class partners to validate end-to-end 5G VoNR interoperability is an important step towards the future of 5G voice services for our customers.”

“This achievement is a step forward in realizing the full potential of 5G for consumers and industries. The capabilities of mature 5G networks will bring significant benefits to end-users as well as produce a plethora of innovative new services and applications,” says Enrico Salvatori, senior vice president and president, Qualcomm Europe/MEA, Qualcomm Europe, Inc. “Both the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G and the 5G smartphone form factor test device used in this activity are powered by Snapdragon 780G and 888 5G Mobile Platforms with Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems respectively which support a wide range of 5G capabilities including both 5G VoNR and 5G SA.” 

https://www.telekom.com/en/media/media-information/archive/world-first-end-to-end-multivendor-5g-voice-over-nr-call-628746

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Smartoptics Group AS completes IPO

 Smartoptics Group AS completed an initial public offering of its shares on Euronext Growth in Oslo, Norway.  The public listing follows a successful private placement raising gross NOK 100 million in new equity.

“The IPO is a milestone in Smartoptics’ history. We have over the last year experienced tremendous traction in the market, as we have developed technology and services that are perceived as more innovative and flexible than those of our competitors. As a listed company, we now have added fuel to power our ambitions of reaching USD 100 million in revenue and 15-20 percent EBITDA margin by 2025-2026,” said CEO Magnus Grenfeldt.

In 2020, Smartoptics had a revenue of USD 34.8 million and an EBITDA margin of 6 percent. The start of 2021 has been strong, with first quarter revenues growing 52 percent to reach USD 10 million and an EBITDA margin of 13.8 percent.

“We have positioned ourselves perfectly in this market. We have become a preferred vendor for many small and medium-sized operators and enterprises. Our technology, size and business culture make it possible for us to maneuver faster than the giants of the industry, and most of the other medium-sized players have been acquired. Hence, we face limited competition in our segment,” said Grenfeldt.

The Smartoptics shares were sold at NOK 10.38 per share in the private placement, equivalent to a post-money capitalization of approximately NOK 1 billion. The transaction included a secondary share sale of NOK 150 million. Among the investors are Danske Invest, Ålandsbanken and Varner Invest.

https://www.smartoptics.com/

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