The Australian-based telecommunications company Vocus announced on Jan. 18 that it will deploy Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) 1.6 Tbps coherent technology. Vocus owns and operates a 25,000km fiber network purpose-built for business and government and reports that the technology, to be deployed across its long haul and metro links, will satisfy rising bandwidth demands and cut energy use across its network while providing greater cost-effectiveness and reliability.
Ciena’s WL6e, optimized for high-capacity transport, will support up to 1.6 Tbps single-carrier wavelengths for metro ROADM deployments and 800 Gbps-1.2 Tbps over the longest links. Initially launched in 2008, Ciena reports that its WaveLogic technology has delivered 20 times more capacity over fiber and more than 85% reduction in Watts/Gbps for customers.
Steve Haigh, general manager of network engineering at Vocus, said in a press release, “We are delighted to be the first network operator to announce plans to adopt this exciting technology after partnering with Ciena to power our links across Australia—from Brisbane to Perth, via Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Adelaide. We are at a significant stage in the cloud and artificial intelligence era, and WL6e will provide the capacity required for Vocus to meet the needs of new and existing customers looking to thrive in this transformative period.”
Matt Vesperman, Ciena vice president, Asia Pacific, said in the same press release, “Ciena’s industry-leading pedigree in optical innovation combined with our drive to create adaptive and energy-efficient networks that address surging bandwidth demands is designed to help network providers like Vocus deliver a superior digital experience for customers with even greater economies of scale. With the additional network capacity enabled by WL6e, Vocus will solidify its position as a leading carrier providing reliable and cost-effective connectivity across Australia and New Zealand.”
For related articles, visit the Business Topic Center.
For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.

Hayden Beeson
Hayden Beeson is a writer and editor with over seven years of experience in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, he was the associate editor of Architectural SSL and LEDs Magazine.