Corning and Ciena to Demonstrate Long-Haul Optical Fiber Products at OFC/NFOEC

Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) will demonstrate the robust performance and extended reach capability of its long-haul optical fiber products in 40 gigabits per second (G) and 100G network systems with Ciena Corporation at OFC/NFOEC, March 22-25 in San Diego.

Extended reach and the ability to construct longer spans enables high-capacity transmission over long distances without expensive regeneration. This thereby reduces capital expenses and simplifies the construction and deployment of high-data-rate terrestrial networks.

The 100G system travels a distance of 1,500 kilometers (km) and consists of 12 spans, each 125 km. The configuration is possible using Corning’s SMF-28® ULL optical fiber, the lowest attenuation ITU-T G.652-compliant fiber, and Ciena’s 100G Adaptive Optical Engine, both of which are commercially available today. The average fiber attenuation of each span is at or below 0.17 decibels of loss per kilometer (dB/km) at 1550 nanometers (nm). The ultra-low attenuation of SMF-28 ULL fiber enables 30-35 percent longer system reach compared to typical single-mode fibers.

“We are delighted to work with Ciena to show a 100G solution with commercially available products,” said Martin J. Curran, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Optical Fiber. “We continue to improve our long-haul optical fiber products so they deliver the robust performance our customers require today and in the future. Low-loss optical fiber allows network operators to extend optical reach at very high data rates and make their network scalable for the higher capacities that will be required to meet growing bandwidth demand.”

The companies will also demonstrate Ciena’s newly developed 40G ultra long haul solution over an unregenerated distance of 3,100 km using Corning long-haul optical fibers. Ciena’s 40G signal will be transmitted through 1,600 km of Corning’s LEAF® fiber and 1,500 km of SMF-28 ULL fiber, in a configuration representative of some of the most challenging long-distance network designs.

Finally, the companies will also demonstrate 100G performance over 800 km of Corning LEAF fiber, the most widely deployed non-zero dispersion shifted fiber. LEAF fiber has the lowest attenuation and largest effective area of any ITU-T G.655-compatible optical fiber, enabling 20-25 percent greater system reach compared to typical G.655 fiber. The average LEAF fiber attenuation of each span is at or below 0.190 dB/km at 1,550 nm.