Verizon said Tuesday it has wrapped up successful field trials delivering live 400 Gbps Ethernet traffic on a single wavelength over its packet-optical network.
The December trials, which took place in the Dallas area, validate the capability to quadruple the typical wavelength capacity. It marks a big step toward 400 Gbps transmission and router technology, which is important to the growth of video streaming, virtual reality and cloud computing, Verizon said.
“As network traffic continues to grow at an accelerated rate and 5G proliferates, communications carriers and equipment providers must not only work together but also be agile, quickly leveraging new standards and technologies as they become available to rapidly innovate and expand the capability of core networks,” Sally Bament, VP of Service Provider Marketing for Juniper Networks, said in a statement.
The tests also proved interoperability as they moved traffic over Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform between two Juniper Networks PTX 5000 routers, both used in Verizon’s production network. The 400 Gbps connections complied with the recently ratified IEEE Standard 802.3bs-2017.
“We’re delivering more content and capacity than ever from our network and we’re gearing up to do more,” said Lee Hicks, VP of Network Planning for Verizon. “The appetite from consumers and businesses alike continues to grow. This 400G trial demonstrates our relentless focus on building networks people want and need. We’re building the future now.”
Verizon did not indicate a specific timeline to deploy 400 gigabit Ethernet capabilities in its packet-optical network.
AT&T has also been testing 400 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) transmission, successfully wrapping up single-wavelength tests across its production network last September.
“This is an exciting time in our industry as live 400G trials and deployments are ramping up, proving that future networks will adapt to handle the next wave of high-speed applications and services,” said Steve Alexander, CTO for Ciena. “This trial leveraged WaveLogic Ai – the latest generation of Ciena’s coherent optical technology, which can give Verizon greater competitive advantage and ensure its network will meet growing customer bandwidth demands.”