Coherent Optics at 400G, 800G

and Beyond
October 27, 2021

Sponsored by:

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 About the Market Leader Project
• Focus: Evolution of coherent DWDM
optics along two dimensions:
– Compact pluggable optics for 400G
– Highest-performance optics for 800G,
and beyond
• Global operator survey
– Completed in September
– 81 qualified respondents
• Survey Readout webinar
– Today!
• Survey Analysis white paper
– Coming in November
• Three analyst blogs
– Coming in November

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 Today’s Speakers
Sterling Perrin
Senior Principal Analyst – Optical Networks & Transport
Heavy Reading

Tim Doiron
Senior Director, Solution Marketing
Infinera

Lorenzo Ghioni
Sr. Director Product Management Optical Systems
Cisco

Dirk van den Borne

Director System Engineering
Juniper Networks

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Survey Demographics
Respondents by Geographic Region
• Global operator survey conducted in
September 2021
Asia-Pacific
9% CALA
11%
• 81 qualified operator responses
EMEA
• All involved in network
North
16% America planning/purchasing
64%
• 64% North America/36% RoW

North America EMEA Asia-Pacific CALA

N=81
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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 Survey Demographics (Continued)
Organization’s Annual Revenue Transport Technology Role

IP
>$5 billion >200 million 26%
31% 25%

Both IP and Optical

$200-$499 11%
Optical
$1-$5 billion million
63%
18% 26%

N=81
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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 Defining the Landscape for Next-
Gen Optics

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 Coherent Optical Solutions

EDGE METRO LONG-HAUL SUBSEA

DIRECT COHERENT COHERENT

DETECT PLUGGABLES EMBEDDED

COST PER BIT PER KM INCLUDING COST OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND COST/PHILOSOPHY OF OPERATIONS
COST/BIT CAPACITY/FIBER

5G DAA CLOUD
HISTORIC MARKET FOR COHERENT SOLUTIONS
DRIVING COHERENT TO THE EDGE

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 Defining Open Coherent Pluggable Optics
OpenROADM: 400ZR: OpenZR+: Open XR:
• Higher performance 400G DCO • OIF-defined implementation • Higher performance 400G • Higher performance 400G DCO
pluggable that supports longer agreement for point-to-point DCO pluggable in 400ZR- pluggable that also supports
reach and additional features 400G links compatible form factors point-to-multipoint links
• Ethernet and OTN client • Ethernet client only (QSFP-DD or OSFP) • Ethernet and OTN client
• Multi-rate 100-400G • 40km – 120km • Ethernet client only • Multi-rate 25-400G
• OpenROADM MSA: Started 2016 • OIF 400ZR: Started 2016 • Multi-rate 100-400G • Open XR Forum: Started 2021
• OpenZR+ MSA: Started 2020

Form Factors W x D x H (mm) Alignment

OpenROADM, Open XR,
CFP2 41.5 x 107.5 x 12.4
proprietary 400G DCOs

QSFP-DD 18.35 x 93.26 x 8.5 400ZR, OpenZR+, Open XR

OSFP 22.58 x 100.4 x 13 400ZR, OpenZR+

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 IP and Optical Convergence

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The (big) promise of IP-Optical integration (IPoDWDM)
Optical IP
management management
Grey client Coherent DWDM
interfaces transponders

DWDM transponder & DWDM transponder &

common equipment common equipment

IP-Optical
Coherent DWDM management
router interfaces

DWDM common equipment DWDM common equipment

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 Plans for Converging IP and DWDM
Q: What are your plans for converging coherent pluggable optics into your routers?

We have no interest
in coherent
pluggable optics in
routers
4% We have an active
We are currently in plan to deploy in
the education 2021
phase with no firm 22%
plan
30%
We are planning for
a future
deployment beyond
2021
44%

N=81
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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Pluggable 400G DWDM is a Gamechanger
Yesterday Today

Reduced system capacity Maximum system capacity

for DWDM compared to client optics for both DWDM and client optics

Dedicated line cards Mix-and-match on the same card

for client and DWDM optics for client and DWDM optics

Propriatory DWDM interfaces 400ZR/ZR+ industry standards

no interoperability between vendors Inter between multiple vendors

Limited alien wavelength support Open line systems

Proprietary management interfaces Standardized management APIs

IPoDWDM now (finally) becomes a mature and mainstream technology

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 Interoperability Priorities
Q: How much of a priority are each of the following open networking
approaches within your organization?

38%
High priority
20%

49%
Medium priority
59%

12%
Low priority
21%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Full interoperability between pluggable modules from different suppliers
Bookended pluggable modules over open line systems

N=81
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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 400G Pluggable Optics

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 Expected TCO Savings
Q: What level of TCO savings (CAPEX + OPEX) do you anticipate by converging 400G
coherent pluggable optics onto routers for hop-by-hop transport, when compared to
traditional transponder-based architectures?
50%

45% 43%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20% 19%
15%
15% 14%

10% 7%

5% 3%

0%
Unknown/too Hop-by-hop Less than 20% 20-39% 40-60% Greater than 60%
early router transport is
N=81 more expensive
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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 Expected 400ZR/ZR+ Adoption by Segment
Q: Between now and 2025, roughly, what percentage of 400G links will be driven by
400GZR and/or 400G ZR+ in the following parts of the network?

40%
37%
35% 35%
35% 33%
31%
30%
26% 25%
25% 24% 24%
23%

20% 19%
16%
15%
15% 14% 14%
11%
10% 9%
5%
5% 4%
3%

0%
Metro Aggregation Metro Core LH Core DCI
0-25% 26-50% 51-75% 75%+ Not applicable
N=81
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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 Location for Convergence
Q: Where do you plan to physically place coherent 400G pluggable optics?

In a fully integrated
DWDM system Inside switch/router
37% 36%

In a disaggregated
transponder shelf
27%

N=81
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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 Preferred Pluggable Supplier for IPoDWDM
Q: In an IP over DWDM network, who would you most prefer to buy
the coherent pluggable optics from?
Not applicable/No
plans to converge IP
and DWDM
3%

The router vendor

The DWDM system 16%
vendor
36%
An independent third
party
17%
No preference -
whoever has the
lowest cost/best
features
28%

N=81
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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 800G Embedded Optics

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 Embedded Coherent Optical Engine Evolution
800G
600G 2020

2019
400G
200G 2017 100s km 800G

2015 100s km 1,000s km 600G

100s km 1,000s km 5,000+ km 400G

Note: Reach meant to show
relative magnitudes and not
~1,000 km 1,000s km 5,000+ km 10,000+ km 200G
absolute or specific numbers.

CMOS Evolution
40nm DSP 28nm DSP 16nm DSP 7nm DSP 5nm DSP 3nm DSP
(DSP)
Today Future

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 Importance of Embedded 800G Optics
Q: Thinking about forecasted traffic demands over the next 24 months, how
important are embedded 800G coherent optics for your transport network?
Critical – we need
Undecided/Too early to 800G right away , 10%
tell , 9%
Not important at
all – 400G is all we
need , 10%

Somewhat important –
Important – both 800G
800G will be used in
and 400G will be used
limited use cases , 27%
extensively during the
time period , 44%

N=81
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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 Attributes for Embedded 800G Supplier
Q: What are the most important product attributes in selecting your
embedded 800G coherent optics technology/supplier?

Lower power consumption per bit 44%

Minimizing operational cost per bit 44%

Minimizing capital cost per bit 43%

Interoperability with another vendor (Vendor

42%
A connecting to vendor B)

Maximizing spectral efficiency 38%

Density – capacity per rack unit 36%

Telemetry to stream optical engine

30%
performance data

Operational elegance/simplicity (Fewer

22%
interfaces and devices to support traffic)

N=81 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021

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 800G Deployment Timelines
Q: Between now and 2025, what portion of your metro network and long haul/subsea
wavelengths do you anticipate will be deployed with embedded 800G coherent optics?
35%
31%
30% 28%
27%

25%
22%
21%
20% 19%
17%
16%
15%

10%
10%
7%

5%
1%
0%
0%
10% or less 11-20% 21-40% 41-60% 61-80% Greater than 80%
Metro LH/Subsea
N=81
Source: Heavy Reading Coherent Optics at 400G and Beyond Survey, 2021
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 Beyond 400G Pluggable and 800G
Embedded Optics: What’s Next?

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 Questions & Answers

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