ADVA Optical Networking has developed a DPSK-3ASK modulation format for serial 100gbps transmission over a single wavelength channel, essentially enabling a 10-fold increase in system capacity over existing metro DWDM systems utilizing traditional techniques.
In its labs in Meiningen, Germany, ADVA Optical Networking engineers successfully demonstrated for the first time this new modulation scheme, which utilizes available 40gbps components and facilitates operation on a standard ITU channel grid.
Existing serial 100gbps proposals such as DP-QPSK have been optimized for ultra-long-haul and long-haul transmission. Their complexity, cost and power consumption make them less suitable for metro applications, the company said.
Most industry work on short distances to date has centered on multi-fiber and multi-lambda approaches. Standards bodies IEEE, ITU-T and Optical Internetworking Forum all have been working on 100gbps standards
“Current industry standardization efforts have left a gap between 40km and 600km, which leaves a sizeable portion of the market unaddressed. Our solution targets exactly that sweet spot,” said Dr. Christoph Glingener, CTO for ADVA Optical Networking. “In addition, this solution utilizes off-the-shelf componentry, which enables it to be implemented sooner and with minimal industry investment, lessening the burden on optical component companies in a difficult market environment.”
ADVA Optical Networking’s DPSK-3ASK solution is complementary to existing 10gbps and 40gbps designs and fits in existing installed network architectures.
Its direct detection alleviates the need for power-consuming, high-speed digital signal processing as typically required for long-haul schemes. It is compatible with DWDM systems like the ADVA FSP 3000, and when coupled with optical amplification facilitates metro/regional transmission distances up to 600km.
“Lowering the cost per bit is a common theme in both metro and long-haul DWDM networks,” said Glingener. “We have an extremely compact and power-efficient 40gbps solution today. Now, many network operators have asked us to address the metro challenge with a customized 100gbps solution, which is what we’ve done. This DPSK-3ASK demonstration is an important milestone in the industry’s journey to realize 100gbps.”
This work by ADVA Optical Networking was partially funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and is part of the CELTIC 100GET-METRO project.
