OFC is well known for its technical sessions, which provide tutorials and in-depth discussions of optical communications technology research and development, proof of concept and demonstration activities, and what might be commercialized in the mid to long term. But for information on what’s available now and in the short term to improve the performance and efficiency of optical communications networks, attendees head to the exhibition hall. Here’s a look at some of the major trends those attendees likely will see play out in San Diego March 10-12 during exhibit hours.
400G modules and components: While other transmission rates also will grab their share of attention (as we’ll soon discuss), 400 Gbps should prove to be star of the exhibit floor – in particular, modules and components for 400ZR coherent transmission applications, particularly data center interconnect and service provider metro networks. The OIF developed the specification and has been highlighting commercial progress in 400ZR module and component development at OFC and ECOC for the last several years; the organization will finally be able to point to actual modules at the show this year (and undoubtedly will do so from Booth 6221). Two vendors, Inphi and NeoPhotonics, already have announced they have modules in the sampling stage, and other transceiver vendors will be eager to tout how close they are to this level of commercialization. Meanwhile, component vendors will discuss their ability to supply the IC-TROSA found at the heart of such modules.
With 400ZR about to reach the field, thoughts naturally have already turned toward what comes next. And so attendees will hear vendors’ thoughts on what is being called 400ZR+ -- modules similar to those specified within the OIF, but with longer reach. The members of the Open ZR+ Multisource Agreement have staked out exhibit space to demonstrate their approach in Booth 6049.
Meanwhile, 400 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) transceivers based on IEEE 802.3bs also should prove a popular booth item among module vendors, both in QSFP-DD and OSFP formats. Hyperscale data center operators (at least those that haven’t developed alternatives) are said to be disappointed in the time it has taken such modules to reach commercialization. Expect progress updates from both transceiver developers as well as suppliers of the PAM4 DSPs such modules require.
But technologies based on OIF or IEEE specifications won’t be the only approaches applied to 400-Gbps requirements, particularly those that require coherent transmission. These alternative technologies will form the second hot area on the show floor…
Coherent transmission for 600G and beyond: Two years ago at OFC, Nokia introduced a 600-Gbps coherent optical engine. Just short of a year later, Ciena and Infinera revealed work on 800-Gbps optical engines. Huawei has followed suit, and recently announced modules based on their technology. While Ciena, Infinera, and Huawei won’t be on the OFC 2020 exhibit floor, Nokia could be due to deliver a progress update on the company’s next-generation coherent technology (which has already reached the customer demonstration stage, at minimum).
What does this have to do with 400G? “My opinion is that the market for 800G operations is pretty small. And what the value is of those solutions is high-performance 400G. They’re going to be able to do 400G over very long distances,” commented Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst at Cignal AI. “Once you blow out of the capabilities of a pluggable and you go to an external transponder, they can do 400GbE over most distances in the terrestrial environment. It will move the basic handoff going into the long-haul network to 400GbE.”
Meanwhile, commercial coherent DSP providers this year will discuss how they’re going to help their customers match such capabilities (and when). The necessary optical transmitters, receivers, and modulators also will be found in the corners of a few booths on the show floor.
Systems houses as module suppliers: Attendees might have to wander into some unexpected places if they want a complete look at new optical transceivers. Several systems companies have announced their intention to supply such optical modules (to address IP over DWDM applications that leverage router-friendly pluggable optics, for example). Again, Ciena, Huawei, and Infinera would have been examples, but attendees likely will be able to talk pluggable optics plans with the likes of Cisco and Juniper Networks, at the very least. Nokia, meanwhile, has created an in-house subsystems group; the company hasn’t publicly announced a decision on whether it will sell such systems on the open market, but acknowledges it’s thinking about it.
Coming to the module market from the other direction, Broadcom recently reacquired the optical business sold to Foxconn when Broadcom and Avago Technologies merged. The company may be ready to discuss its new strategy in more detail at the show.
Support of 5G fronthaul/midhaul/backhaul: Last year’s parade of 25GbE transceivers for 5G support should be repeated this year. One thing to watch will be whether there is a consensus emerging regarding transmission distances and other performance specifications. Also, it will be interesting to see how many other transmission rates are touted as 5G applicable.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of Mobile World Congress makes OFC a platform for systems houses to debut systems and capabilities initially scheduled to appear first in Barcelona. Expect to see open, disaggregated platforms benefiting from software-enabled network automation capabilities with support of network slicing.
The continued rise of software: Particularly for systems, attendees can expect to hear more about network automation, cloud-hosted functions, and other manifestations of network function virtualization and software-defined networking. Artificial intelligence and machine learning (or “AI/ML,” as it has begun to be ubiquitously referred to in the press releases Lightwave receives) will be invoked frequently.
Of course, attendees will hear about a lot of other topics on the show floor as well -- co-packaged optics and open systems (maybe even white box and gray box ones), for example. And there will be new generations of test equipment on display to support development, production, and installation and maintenance of these new optical communications capabilities. The various programs in the Show Floor Theaters will warrant inspection as well. Overall, there will be no shortage of trends and technologies vying for the attention of OFC 2020 attendees.
Sidebar
OFC celebrates 50 years of fiber
This year marks the 50th anniversary of a pair of foundational optical communications milestones: the demonstration of sufficiently low-loss optical fiber and the first lasers that could operate at room temperature. OFC 2020 will mark the occasion in several ways, all under the heading “Celebrating 50 Years of Light-speed Connections.”
The festivities begin March 10 at 6:15 PM with a special keynote address in Ballroom 20BCD from David Welch, founder and chief innovation officer at Infinera. Welch will take a look back at some of the major achievements in optical communications technology since 1970. He’ll also make a few predictions about what the near-term future in the space might hold.
Immediately following the keynote, the show organizers will hold a reception in the nearby Sails Pavilion from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Along the lines of Welch’s keynote, the reception theme will embrace both past achievements as well as what may come next. Some of the people involved in the milestones recognized in the keynote are expected to attend.
On Wednesday, March 11, the Special Chairs’ Sessions will extend the forward-looking aspects of the celebration through a series of presentations under theme “Vision 2030: Taking Optical Communications through the Next Decade.” The sessions will run from 2:00 to 6:30 PM.
Meanwhile, two other events will run throughout the week. On the show floor, attendees will find “The Timeline of Innovation” in Booth 5801 of Exhibit Hall B. Visitors to the booth will be able to trace the evolution of optical communications technology through images and examples of technology breakthroughs. The latter include such items as a LiNbO3 modulator, an early reel of optical fiber, a photonic lightwave circuit (PLC) wafer from 1983, the first optical transceiver for fiber to the home (FTTH) applications, and more.
Finally, those passing through Lobby E in front of the exhibit halls will find an interactive exhibit dedicated to the John Tyndall Award. The award, presented since 1987 by IEEE Photonics Society and The Optical Society (OSA), recognizes the achievements of individuals who have significantly advanced fiber-optic technology. The exhibit will highlight the 33 winners and their accomplishments via touchscreen displays and other means.
More information on the 50th anniversary celebrations can be found on the OFC website.
Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.