Japanese Firms Tackle 400G

Fujitsu Ltd. (Tokyo: 6702; London: FUJ; OTC: FJTSY), NEC Corp. (Tokyo: 6701) and NTT Communications Corp. (NYSE: NTT) are ganging up to develop 400Gbit/s optical transmission.

The companies said Tuesday that they'll be using 16QAM modulation. The channel width would amount to 60 wavelengths per fiber, for a total potential bandwidth of 24Tbit/s per fiber.

In addition to speed, the companies will be focusing on the potential power savings of 400Gbit/s transmission. Their work is part of an Ultra-High Speed and Green Photonic Networks program under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).

The project will last "until 2014," according to the companies' press release.

Why this matters
It's looking certain that a 400Gbit/s generation will exist in optical transmission and in client-side Ethernet. While many in the industry have stressed the need to start researching 1Tbit/s immediately, projects such as this one would seem to indicate that carrier demand will support an intermediate step.

For more

• Why a 400G Standard Might Draw Complaints
• Now the Dutch Do 400G
• Sprint Picks Ciena for 400G
• AlcaLu Claims 400G Is Hot

(0)  |