Xtera Communications (News - Alert), a provider of optical networking solutions, has been working on the upgrade of submarine cable systems since 2001 and has been carrying out its first commercial upgrade project since 2006. This year the company has rolled yet another milestone by announcing the availability of 100G technology for long-haul subsea cable systems.
With a 10-fold capacity increase, compared to 10G technology and significant price erosion to come, 100G is becoming the new 10G. Xtera’s 100G solution is combined with advanced, field-proven Raman optical amplification. Noted to be an efficient optical amplification technology compared to the conventional Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) option, the solution is of the utmost importance for enabling high-capacity, ultra-long-haul, meshed 100G networks.
In a statement, Xtera confirmed that it is the first supplier to have installed 100G Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE) on a repeatered subsea cable system: a project that was awarded by Gulf Bridge International (News - Alert) (GBI) for a submarine cable system connecting Egypt to Italy, which was put into service in Q1 2012.
Xtera further developed its 100G technology to include soft-decision FEC. Since 2011, Xtera has carried out numerous 100G field trials on various types of cable systems with many operators in order to increase the performance of 100G reach on ultra-long distances.
Xtera’s 100G field trials were conducted on multiple subsea cable systems of different generations, made of various fiber types of different lengths. Regional, trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific cable systems have been tested by Xtera’s skillful testing teams.
Optical Transmission Surveys (OTS) is indicated as another variant of 100G field trials, which determines the maximum system capacity that existing subsea cable systems can support when upgraded with Xtera’s 100G technologies. Xtera believes that OTS is necessary to improve simulation tools and it makes the capacity commitments reliable for upgrade projects.
Xtera offers advanced 100G technology for both upgrade and new builds. The company recently announced the availability of XteraLink 300, a product line that brings advanced networking solutions to branch offices, home offices, medium size businesses, apartments, hotels, and other multi-tenant buildings.
Edited by Ashley Caputo