Kinetic by Windstream, which serves an 18-state footprint, completed testing of a 100G ZR QSFP28 digital coherent optical (DCO) transceiver over a live, DWDM transport network in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Kinetic is partnering with Coherent Corp. to deploy the new pluggable transceiver. The successful trial of the 100G DCO validates the ability to use this new technology across a large percentage of Kinetic's footprint. The module is currently a prototype and is set to be released in 2024.
“Kinetic is committed to bringing fiber connectivity to businesses and homes across rural America. This innovation will accelerate the scale of our network in a sustainable way,” said Jeff Austin, chief technology officer at Kinetic. “Not only does its small form factor reduce our carbon footprint, but it is also interoperable with legacy networks, eliminating the need to rebuild costly network infrastructures.”
“We’re proud to partner with Kinetic on the development of the 100G DCO,” said Matthias Berger, vice president, Coherent Corp. “Validating the transceiver’s performance over more than 800 km across an existing transport system gives our industry a definitive conclusion to the questions surrounding achievable performance at low cost, lower power dissipation and small form factor of the transceiver. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Kinetic and continuing to define world-first technology with this industry leader.”
