Windstream Wholesale, along with its partners Coherent and Nokia, completed full integration of the 400 Gig, 0 dBm QSFP-DD Pluggable into the generally available Nokia 7250 IXR X1 and 7250 IXR-X3 routers.
The integrated solution is ready for full commercial deployment, accelerating Windstream’s ICON and ICON-Edge network strategy.
Windstream announced in October 2021 co-development with Coherent (formerly II-VI) of the world’s first high performance 0 dBm, 400G QSFP-DD coherent pluggable module – making these transceivers compatible with existing and emerging modern ROADM-based photonic layers supporting multi-service, multi-layer, open and interoperable architectures.
Highlights:
- A direct technical path for IP-over-DWDM with ROADM-based photonic layers, extending the application space beyond simple point-to-point DCI style networks.
- High-performance 0 dBm, 400G QSFP-DD coherent pluggable modules that provide widespread compatibility with existing and emerging modern ROADM-based photonic layers supporting multi-service, multi-layer architectures.
- A significant reduction in capex and opex by eliminating intermediate DCI-style boxes, allowing for direct insertion of high-performance coherent optics into current 400G-enabled routers. This is enabled by Nokia’s 7250 IXR-X1 and 7250 IXR-X3 platforms running SR OS.
- An important increase in 400G transceiver density, drastically reducing the size and power demands of 400G pluggables relative to sled-based and even CFP2-based solutions.
“This announcement demonstrates Windstream’s technology leadership in the evolution of both optical and packet networking,” said Art Nichols, chief technology officer for Windstream Enterprise and Wholesale. “Windstream’s ability to manage everything from the base science technology through system integration is key to achieving new architectural breakthroughs. Coherent and Nokia have been outstanding partners throughout the development process.”
“It’s been exciting to work with Windstream and Nokia at the frontier of high-speed transmission technology, transforming proprietary line cards into standardized pluggable transceivers that are much easier to provision on Nokia’s routers and deploy in Windstream’s network,” said Matthias Berger, vice president, Coherent Technology, Coherent Corp.
Windstream Wholesale completes 1000 km 400G ZR+ field trials
