Verizon and NEC send 54.2 Tbps over 630 km

In what is becoming an annual occurrence, Verizon (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and NEC Corp. of America reported at OFC/NFOEC last month that they had set a record for high-speed transmission over regional and long-haul distances using field fiber. This time the two parties said they transmitted 40.5 Tbps more than 1800 km and 54.2 Tbps more than 630 km using Verizon’s fiber loop outside Dallas.

Verizon and NEC needed to use both the C- and L-Band to reach these capacities.

“Successful scientific accomplishments such as this demonstrate that Verizon is taking major steps to advance the industry’s understanding of high-capacity optical technology,” said Ed Chan, vice president of network technology for Verizon. “Verizon continues to address the challenge of maximizing performance on our global network while providing lasting business value and best-in-class services for our customers.”

This is the third consecutive year that Verizon and NEC reported transmission records. Last year the two companies reported data rates of 21.7 Tbps over 1503 km of singlemode fiber (see “Verizon, NEC transmit 21.7 Tbps over field fiber”).

“NEC has been relentless in accelerating research and deployment of advanced optical networking solutions to help global carriers to meet the growth in network traffic,” said Toshio Suzuki, general manager for the Converged Network Division of NEC Corporation, Tokyo. “This field trial with Verizon is an exciting achievement that confirms our technology leadership and demonstrates the feasibility of delivering unmatched capacity over existing network infrastructure by utilizing all available frequency spectrum in optical fibers in the most effective manner.”

For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.