Infinera enters coherent optical subsystems market, to offer coherent transceiver DSPs

March 2, 2023

The company has unveiled a line of transmit/receive optical subassemblies (TROSAs), ICE-X pluggable coherent optical transceivers, as well as three programmable coherent DSPs.

Stephen Hardy

Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) says it will expand into the coherent subsystem and merchant coherent DSP market. The company has unveiled a line of transmit/receive optical subassemblies (TROSAs), ICE-X pluggable coherent optical transceivers, as well as three programmable coherent DSPs.

The coherent TROSAs include the ICTR32, ICTR64, and ICTR140, with nominal baud rates of 32 Gbaud, 64 Gbaud, and 140 Gbaud, respectively, and 0 dBm output power. (The ICTR64 was an honoree in the 2023 Lightwave Innovation Reviews.) The devices are based on monolithically integrated photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and designed to offer “industry-leading” size, power efficiency, flexibility, and optical performance. The ICTR64 is currently available, with the rest becoming available in the near future, according to Infinera Senior Vice President of Marketing Rob Shore. The company has received TROSA purchase orders, he added.

The programmable coherent DSP line includes the Wa’a 100, Wa’a 400, and Tahoe 800; the transmission rates each will support in coherent module designs is stated in their respective names. The family is designed to support both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint applications. Shore says the Wa’a devices are available and in lab trials. The Tahoe 800 is expected to be available in the first half of next year.

Finally, the coherent pluggables portfolio comprises ICE-X 100G XR, 400G XR, 400G ZR+, and 800G ZR/ZR+ modules. As their names imply, the 100G XR and 400G XR modules support XR optics; the company had revealed plans for such devices last year (see “Infinera to offer ICE-XR optics coherent pluggable transceivers in 2022”). Not surprisingly, the modules leverage the relevant TROSAs and coherent DSPs from the other two lines. All but the 800G ZR/ZR+ are currently available, with modules in QSFP-DD and CFP2 formats among the family, said Shore; the timing of the 800G modules runs in concert with that of the Tahoe 800 coherent DSP. Shore said that he anticipates the XR pluggables will see their first major traction in PON overlay scenarios to support business services delivery over existing PON infrastructure.

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About the Author

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.