Banner
News & Events

“Any Wavelength Anywhere” — The Value Of Wavelength Tunability

Chief Architect Insight

Next Generation Pluggable Optics

Today, BTI Systems uses small form factor pluggable optics, SFPs and 10G-capable XFPs, on our modules. Pluggable optics have the advantage of being “hot swappable”, allowing us to use standard industry parts sourced from multiple vendors, and simplify network sparing with a module that can be customized to any customer network requirement opposed to having multiple, fixed optic modules.

SFPs and XFPs enable wavelength translation that increases network capacity by converting 850nm and 1310nm client equipment connections into WDM wavelengths. Leveraging multiple different WDM pluggable optics “colors” allows us to multiplex multiple channels onto the same fiber pair, increasing network capacity. Translating client signal wavelengths into a specific area of the spectrum enables extended reach, leveraging amplification technologies to extend signals beyond their typical operating range.

Tunable XFP optics will have a significant impact on the BTI Systems’ product portfolio. Tunable XFPs have the potential to be deployed onto all BTI Systems’ high capacity line side interfaces on transponder, muxponder and packetVX modules as well as on the BTI 712. They promise to offer increased optical reach and simplified inventory management. Furthermore, they are part of a broader BTI strategy to evolve from static wavelength connections to dynamic wavelength connections at the optical layer.

Looking to the Future: A Dynamic Optical Layer

Careful network planning is required in networks leveraging static wavelength connections. Problems may arise when network operators have to re-route wavelengths or re-configure networks ad-hoc. As networks grow, planning what wavelengths are propagating over any part of the network at any instance in time may be just too complex to manage.

It will be important that any and all wavelengths are available at any node to allow incremental capacity to be added to the network. A tunable pluggable optic, where the wavelength can be specified and configured at service turn-up across the full-band of available wavelengths, will simplify network deployments and reconfiguration! To that end, optical transceiver vendors have been developing tunable XFPs. These devices should become available on the market in 2010.

This will have some real advantages for BTI Systems customers:

  • A simplified optics inventory with a signal orderable part for DWDM XFPs addressing all wavelengths
  • Reduced customer network optics sparing requirements
  • Lead times for specific wavelengths from a XFP vendor can be as long as 26 weeks, with a single part the lead time to deliver optics to a customer now becomes the shipping lead time
  • An improved OSNR performance or longer reach with a new modulator that improves optical performance over the fixed wavelength DWDM XFP
  • Enables launching higher power into the fiber as they are designed with mechanisms to suppress SBS.
  • Stringent wavelength stability supports 50GHz applications and provides more output power stability and power levels control which enables better link budgeting

As BTI Systems moves forward to deploy reconfigurable wavelength systems, tunability allows a different design approach to networks. Adding additional services or reconfiguring the network can be done using the optimal wavelength opposed to the one available in static wavelength networks. This wavelength assignment can be done in real-time when the service is provisioned instead of when the network is planned day 1.

Although wavelength reconfigurable networks can be difficult to design and plan the availability of tunable XFP eases the planning burden significantly. BTI Systems focus is to ensure “any wavelength anywhere” in a profitable manner for our customers.

Robert Keys, Chief Architect Optical

Back to top