13 May 2002 -- Deutsche Telekom is to trial the Yafo40 polarisation mode dispersion (PMD) compensator for 40Gbit/s networks, developed by Yafo Networks' (Hanover, MD, USA). The tests will include a laboratory trial on a testbed with PMD generated by Yafo's higher-order emulator and traditional PMD emulators, as well as a field trial in the DT network at Nuremberg.
Jeff Ferry, Yafo's VP Sales and Marketing said, "We are pleased to be demonstrating the Yafo40's capabilities for DT, Europe's largest telecommunications company. By overcoming PMD, the Yafo40 will open the door to 40Gbit/s systems, enabling carriers to enjoy the benefits of more bandwidth, lower costs, and greater scalability."
Yafo's real-time adaptive PMD solutions enable service providers to move to high-speed optical networks with dramatic reductions in network cost and time-to-revenue. The Yafo40 will enable carriers to move to 40Gbit/s networks on their existing fibre plant. Yafo's PMD subsystems, the Yafo10 and the Yafo40, operate in 10 and 40Gbit/s networks and are compatible with RZ or NRZ signal formats.
PMD or polarization mode dispersion is a "blurring" of the light signal inside optical fibre caused by the tendency of the two planes of light to travel at differing speeds due to stress on the fibre or deviation from perfect circularity. PMD becomes a significant problem in high-speed optical networks, especially at speeds of 10Gbit/s or above. PMD also accumulates over distance, making it a greater challenge over long optical links.