MUNICH -- Infineon Technologies (FSE/NYSE: IFX) today announced that it has demonstrated the industry’s first 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) XPAK-compliant transceiver module operating over 300 meters of low-band­width multimode fiber. The XPAK optical transceiver used a 1310 nm laser with EDC (electronic dispersion compensation) technology to extend the distance over which 10 GbE data can be transmitted error-free. The demonstration proves the feasibility of using single-laser transceivers for high-speed transmission over the installed low-bandwidth fiber infrastructure, which preserves capital investment while increasing capabilities. The use of EDC-enabled transceivers to upgrade networks without re­placing fiber will also help accelerate adoption of 10 GbE technology, with its greater bandwidth.

The EDC-equipped Infineon XPAK optical module has shown the ability to transmit 10 Gbps data over up to 300 meters of virtually any grade of legacy multimode fiber. According to the IEEE 802.3 High Speed Study Group, more than 80 percent of the world’s current enterprise fiber infrastructure is based on this type of low-bandwidth multimode.

The EDC technology compensates for dispersion and other impairments that cause inter-symbol interference and performance degradation. Without EDC, end-users need to either deploy high-cost, high-bandwidth multimode fiber to reach 300 meters at 10 Gbps, or use a solution that requires multiplexing four separate lasers of differ­ent wavelengths, which results in greater complexity, higher power dissipation, in­creased costs and reduced reliability. The small-form-factor XPAK module with EDC gives users a compelling alternative to those approaches.

First samples of Infineon’s XPAK modules with integrated EDC will be available in the first half of 2004.

Infineon Technologies AG