Aqua Comms demonstrated 1.3 Tbps wavelength transmission spanning 5500km across the Atlantic as part of a trial using Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e).
The companies also demonstrated 800 Gbps wavelength transmission from the USA to Ireland and back—a total unregenerated distance of over 11,000 km. This accomplishment leveraged WL6e's fully adjustable baud and line rate capability.
For the 800 trial, Ciena’s WL6e was tuned from 200GBaud to 150GBaud, demonstrating how the technology can enable Aqua Comms to optimize capacity and efficiently use spectrum resources across its network.
These two achievements were proven on Aqua Comm’s AEC-1 cable route. Aqua Comms can improve spectral efficiency by roughly 15% by maximizing subsea transmission rates and reducing power consumption by over 50% relative to the previous generation of Ciena transponders.
This trial also shows the utility of 800G wavelength transmission across longer distances to appeal to customers who need global capabilities.
Thomas Grant, Aqua Comms's CNO, said that the recent demonstrations on its submarine cable routes put it on a path to achieving two key goals: enhancing speeds and driving sustainability.
“Aqua Comms’ multiple trans-Atlantic cables, powered by Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme, will keep ahead of ever-increasing bandwidth demands while contributing towards Aqua Comms’ goal of hitting 100% renewable energy by 2030,” he said. “These reductions align with industry goals to minimize the environmental footprint of subsea networks - a critical priority as we continue to connect the world more efficiently.”
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Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.