Alcatel-Lucent unveils single-carrier 100G/200G DWDM optical line card

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) says 20 service providers have deployed a new a single-carrier 100G/200G DWDM optical line for its 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) platform. The line card is an industry first, the company asserts.

The line card family will support optical transmission of 4,000 km in 100G mode and 1,000 km in 200G mode. The 200G ability obviously doubles fiber capacity versus 100-Gbps operation from 8.8 Tbps (88 x 100G) to 17.6 Tbps (88 x 200G). Alcatel-Lucent says its flexible grid feature can support a total system capacity of 24 Tbps.

UPDATE: An Alcatel-Lucent source confirmed that at least some of the 20 customers are using the 200-Gbps capabilities, but could not reveal the exact number or their identities. The line card uses 16-QAM to support the 200G line rate.

Both the 1830 PSS and the 400G Photonic Service Engine at the heart of the line card are 400G ready, Alcatel-Lucent adds.

Ron Kline, principal analyst, intelligent networks, at market research and consultancy firm Ovum, said, "200G provides a very compelling case for operators looking to lower total cost of ownership. The technology provides twice the bandwidth in the same footprint without increasing power requirements, a great option for operators."

"We were the first to innovate with a single-carrier 100G solution and we are now the first to offer 200G," said Basil Alwan, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s IP Routing & Transport business line. "This is the most flexible solution on the market – it’s backward compatible allowing existing customers to easily deploy extra speed and capacity in their networks whenever and wherever they need it. This removes the inefficiency of having to predict future demand and purchase extra capacity, when upgrading networks, when it may not be needed or used for some time."

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