400G BiDi MSA Group releases first multimode fiber optical transceiver specification

The 400G Bidirectional (BiDi) Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) Group says it has published its first 400G-BD4.2 Specification. The specification describes support of 400-Gbps over 100 m of multimode fiber via a dual-wavelength BiDi transmission approach. The specification leverages 100-Gbps BiDi for Ethernet applications and is compatible with existing parallel multimode fiber cabling infrastructure, the MSA asserts.

The MSA members announced their intentions this past July. They include Alibaba, Broadcom, Cisco, Corning, Finisar, Foxconn Interconnect Technology, InnoLight Technology, Inphi, and Sumitomo Electric. Concurrent with the July announcement, IEEE P802.3cm 400 Gb/s over Multimode Fiber Task Force is pursuing a similar set of specifications, which it calls 400GBASE-SR4.2 (see “MSA, standards activity paves way for bidirectional 400 Gigabit Ethernet multimode fiber links”). Both the MSA and the IEEE Task Force expect the approach will significantly reduce the number of multimode fibers required to support 400 Gigabit Ethernet transmission. The approach should find use in such short-reach applications as connections between data center switches, the MSA believes.

The specification is available from the 400G BiDi MSA website.

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