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OFC 2024 Marketwatch Presentations

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Infinera 4Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Driven by sales to Cloud operators, full year 2023 revenue came in at a record $1.3B.

Ribbon and Cisco Demonstrate 1.2 Tbps Interoperability

Mentioned: Kyle Hollasch on Ribbon’s announced interop testing with Cisco

Infinera Announces Intra-Datacenter 1.6 Tb/s Optics

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson on the 1.6Tbs client optics market.

4Q23 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

Cloud Spending on Optical Transport Jumps 46% in 4Q23, Traditional Service Provider Spending Remains Weak

Applied Optoelectronics 4Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Providing an update to our 1Q23 vendor summary and updating AOI’s quarterly results for 4Q23.

OFC 2024 Preview

Key themes to watch – AI, 800G, and everything else

Cloud Spending on Optical Transport Jumps 46% in 4Q23

Traditional Service Provider Spending Remains Weak

4Q23 Preliminary Transport Hardware & Markets Report

The market slides ex-china as service provider spending stalls.

Lumentum 4Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Revenues continue to be in the doldrums and the slowdown is expected to continue for a couple of quarters before growth returns.

Coherent 4Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Coherent calls the bottom in the Telecom optical components market while capitalizing on the AI-fueled Datacom boom.

Nokia 4Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Optical and routing results point to growing weakness in North American carrier capex.

The Move to Coherent Inside the Datacenter

Does the higher performance offered by coherent optics offer a compelling use case inside the datacenter?

OIF Launches 1600ZR+ at Q1 2024 Meeting

Mentioned: Andrew Schmitt on the success of the OIF in pluggable coherent applications

Ciena 4Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Sales to Cloud operators powered $3B in optical revenue for 2023.

Coherent Port Pricing Trends (1Q24)

The price of bandwidth ($/Gbps) has declined consistently every year except 2021. In this updated report, we analyze the most recent data to determine if the trend is continuing.

3Q23 Transport Applications Report

Worldwide DWDM deployed bandwidth declined YoY for the first time.

3Q23 Optical Components Report

Datacom revenues are recovering from the Q1 drop and are poised to explode along with 800GbE shipments in 2024. Telecom revenue continues to lag, as deployed bandwidth declined YoY for the first time this quarter.

3Q23 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

The optical market grew 4% – cloud operators continue to invest in transport and vendors are still shipping against large backlogs.

Coherent 3Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Coherent’s revenue declined in all segments, but the company’s forecast for a return to growth in 2024 remains unchanged.

Building Networks with Pluggable Optics

Pluggable coherent optics are changing how networks are built. Learn how to leverage this technology to fit your requirements.

Credo Announces 800G Retimer for Linear Receive Optics

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson and Credo’s new half-retimed 800G DSP

Lumentum 3Q23 Vendor Summary Report

It’s all about the future for Lumentum, with a strong backlog and the incorporation of Cloud Light expected to drive increased revenues into 2024.

3Q23 Preliminary Transport Hardware & Markets Report

The optical market grew 4% – cloud operators continue to invest in transport and vendors are still shipping against large backlogs.

Lumentum Buys Cloud Light

On November 7, Lumentum announced its acquisition of optical component manufacturer Cloud Light for approximately $750 million. This move marked an unexpected return to the datacom transceiver market for Lumentum, which sold its business in 2019 to CIG.

Fujitsu 3Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Fujitsu faces headwinds as weakness in Japan combines with the end of fronthaul sales in NA. Can the 1FINITY Ultra Optical System help it break into new markets?

GEN120+ Coherent Trials and Deployments

Cignal AI is tracking announcements of Gen120 (120+ GBaud, 1+Tbps) optical trials and deployments.

Nokia 3Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Optical and routing point to growing weakness in North American carrier Capex.

2023 OCP Global Summit Report

The “AI Emergency”, LPO vs. CPO optics, and pushing the scaling limits of AI computing.

3Q23 Takeaways – NOK ERIC TSMC

Nokia and Ericsson see no turnaround for telco capex, and no killer 5G app

ECOC 2023 Show Report

800ZR, debate on Linear Pluggable Optics and IPoDWDM, and progress in 200G/lane modules

Ciena 3Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Optical revenue grew 27% as its large backlog is turned into revenue.

ECOC 2023 Market Focus Presentation

The Era of Pluggable Coherent – Don’t Bet Against IM-DD – What Does 3.2T look like?

Cisco PONC 2023

IP is Eating the World | Coherent Marches On | Crossing the Chasm | IP-over-DWDM Impact

The Market Opportunity for Linear Drive Optics

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson interviewed about the in depth report on Linear Drive optics.

2Q23 Optical Components Report

Datacom revenue and module shipments plummeted as inventory adjustment hit hard this quarter.

2Q23 Transport Applications Report

Bandwidth growth and compact modular sales slow as Hyperscalers take their foot off the gas.

Coherent 2Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Lackluster performance and a lowered forecast overshadowed optimism about revenue growth.

2Q23 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

Optical sales slowed due to inventory absorption and macroeconomic concerns, but routing sales continued to grow.

30% of Metro WDM Hardware Spending to Shift to Router-hosted Coherent Pluggables

IPoDWDM represents a $1.6B Opportunity by 2026

Lumentum 2Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Despite strength in ROADM sales this quarter, Lumentum’s revenue declined sharply across all segments and the company does not anticipate recovery until 2024.

Assessing the Impact of IP-over-DWDM: Modeling Results

40% of Coherent Modules deployed in 2026 will displace traditional transponders.

2Q23 Takeaways – FN MRVL CRDO

Fabrinet gets a big, legit, AI tailwind

Marvell Delivers Industry’s First Pluggable Coherent 800 Gbps DSP and Module

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson and Marvell’s 800ZR DSP and module announcements.

2Q23 Takeaways – COHR LITE CSCO

Lumentum and Coherent see no Telecom turnaround until 2024, Cisco talks AI.

Linear Drive optics offer benefits, but challenges will limit deployment

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson and the Linear Drive report

WDM Transport Spending Weakens During 2Q23

Network Operators Absorb Inventory and Pause Orders

2Q23 Preliminary Transport Hardware & Markets Report

Supply chains loosen up and revenue ramps, some service providers express hesitation.

2Q23 Takeaways – INFN ADTN VIAV

Infinera and Viavi think a turnaround in demand is imminent.

Linear Drive will be a Small Fraction of 800GbE Market

Promise of Power Reduction but Challenges Will Limit Deployment

The Linear Drive Market Opportunity

Examines the benefits and challenges of Linear Drive and provides a preliminary assessment of its impact.

2Q23 Takeaways – ANET MTSI COMM AAOI

Arista acknowledges webscale weakness, AOI books $300M+ Microsoft contract

Nokia 2Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Nokia’s optical business continues to grow but routing sales abruptly pull back.

2Q23 Takeaways – INTC GLW JNPR RBBN

Companies indicate hyperscale and service provider weakness will persist through the rest of the year.

2Q23 Takeaways – TSM NOK ERIC CALX

AI demand at TSMC is insufficient to offset weakness across all its other businesses.

Ribbon Vendor Summary Report

Despite is relatively small size, Ribbon offers a complete IP/optical solution and is a challenger for Tier 1 business.

Applied Optoelectronics Vendor Summary Report

AOI made news recently with its intention to sell its Chinese manufacturing facilities and partnership with Microsoft for laser development.

Ekinops Vendor Summary Report

France-based Ekinops has grown rapidly on a reputation for customer attentiveness and product focus.

Ciena Vectors 2023 Report

The best technical customer conference is back up and running.

1Q23 Transport Applications Report

The Bandwidth Must Flow: Up 39% YoY

Five Themes from NGON 2023

Mentioned: Kyle Hollasch at NGON 2023

1Q23 Optical Components Report

Datacom revenue and module shipments plummeted as inventory adjustment hit hard this quarter.

1Q23 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

North American Cloud operators were the growth engine for optical and packet transport sales.

NGON 2023 Show Report

Observations on IP over DWDM and the Optical Edge

1Q23 Takeaways – MRVL CRDO AVGO

The A.I. messaging was strong but datacenter revenue appears to be bottoming.

NGON 2023 – IP-over-DWDM

Download the Slides

1Q23 Preliminary Transport Hardware & Markets Report

Supply chains loosen up and revenue ramps, some service providers express hesitation.

Assessing the Impact of IP-over-DWDM

Inputs, Assumptions, and Feedback

Coherent 1Q23 Vendor Summary Report

The last bastion of optimism in optical components has reported revenue well below guidance as inventory absorption affects the entire industry.

Lumentum 1Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Revenue tumbled across the board as customers adjust inventory.

1Q23 Takeaways – FN ADTN LITE COHR

Big weakness at the largest vendors of Telecom components

Nokia 1Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Nokia’s optical and routing businesses post record quarters.

1Q23 Takeaways – ANET INFN COMM MTSI

Arista gets cautious and MACOM sees optical module demand plunge

1Q23 Earnings – INTC RBBN JNPR GLW

Service provider spending remains solid while cloud operators look shaky.

1Q23 Earnings – NOK CALX ERIC

Good wireline results from Nokia and Calix but Mobile capex is tepid

4Q22 Optical Components Report

Datacom and Telecom revenue was up for the year, but headwinds are pushing down forecasts for both revenue and shipments in the first part of 2023.

Ciena Introduces WaveRouter

How unique is WaveRouter, and does it live up to its lofty expectations?

Tracking the Coherent DSP Supply Chain

Uncovering who uses which DSP, and which DSP vendors ship the most volume.

Ciena 1Q23 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena’s revenue resumed growth as supply chain problems eased and it began shipping against massive backlog.

Enabling a 100ZR Ecosystem

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson by Effect Photonics on building the 100ZR supply chain.

Optical Components – 4Q22 Preliminary Report

The Optical Components report is expected to release in mid-April. In the meantime, this interim report provides an overview of how quarterly results are trending.

4Q22 Transport Applications Report

Gen60C shipments slow, ROADM shipments in line with hardware as supply chain issues resolve

4Q22 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

North American Cloud operators were the growth engine for optical and packet transport sales.

OFC 2023 Show Report

Key technology takeaways from OFC 2023.

Weekly Earnings – CIEN AVGO CRDO MRVL

Broadcom and Marvell provide radically different revenue outlooks

LightReading Video Interview: OFC2023

Phil Harvey Interviews Scott Wilkinson about pluggable coherent at OFC 2023.

OFC 2023 Presentations

Download the slides from our OFC2023 presentations

4Q22 Preliminary Transport Hardware & Markets Report

Optical and routing sales declined on weakness in Europe and China.

Lumentum 4Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Ongoing inventory absorption and supply chain issues depress Lumentum’s datacom revenues, while telecom revenues return to growth.

Coherent to Showcase 100G and 400G Coherent Transceivers

Mentioned: Andrew Schmitt on Coherent’s first 100ZR demo

4Q22 Weekly Earnings – NVDA INFN ADTN COMM

Nvidia and Infinera provide more positive sentiment for cloud spending

Maximizing Network Performance with 1.2 Terabit Coherent Optics

The latest 120+ GBaud coherent technology is arriving.

100ZR Coherent Pluggable Deployment Begins in 2024

Will Provide the Greater Uplink Bandwidth Needed for Access Network Upgrades

100ZR: Coherent at the Network Edge

An in-depth look at the catalysts, potential, and outcome of the 100ZR market.

4Q22 Weekly Earnings – ANET CSCO RBBN

Fabrinet signals 400G shortfall, different outlooks from Coherent and Lumentum

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Nokia 4Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Nokia’s optical and routing businesses post record quarters.

Coherent 4Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Coherent posted a very strong quarter with double-digit gains in both Telecom and Datacom as the company sees no slowdown in demand for optical components.

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Nokia Launches Next-Gen Coherent Optics

Mentioned: Kyle Hollasch on Nokia’s new PSE-6 coherent solution

NANOG 87 – Optics Speak to the Higher Layers

Cignal AI presented at NANOG and came away with unique perspectives from an often under-represented networking segment.

4Q22 Weekly Earnings – FN COHR LITE

Fabrinet signals 400G shortfall, different outlooks from Coherent and Lumentum

OFC23 Preview: Is IP-over-DWDM Ready to Cross the Chasm?

Will 400ZR and its variants usher in the long-awaited era of IP-over-DWDM? 

4Q22 Weekly Earnings – META GOOG AMZN GLW JNPR MTSI

Cloud capex outlook for 2023 summarized

OFC23 Preview: High-Performance Coherent Optics

It has been two years since a new high-performance coherent optical generation was commercially introduced and it’s time for new generation announcements. Expect to hear more about Gen120P at OFC23.

4Q22 Weekly Earnings – MSFT CALX INTC NOK

Microsoft keeps its foot on the capex gas, Intel exits Ethernet switching.

OFC23 Preview: High-Speed Datacenter Optics

OFC23 will offer an opportunity to see how much further and faster direct detect optics will take communications inside the data center

Ekinops Announces New CFP2-based 400G Transport Solution

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson on new hardware from Ekinops

Smartoptics Vendor Summary Report

Smartoptics is a small but rapidly growing company riding the wave of open networking, disaggregation, and IP-over-DWDM.

Datacenter Optical Component Revenue Rebounds 14% in 3Q22

400GbE Optical Module Unit Shipments up 50%

3Q22 Optical Components Report

400GbE shipments recovered from last quarter’s dip leading to a strong revenue quarter for Datacom. Telecom optical component revenue grew as more than 61k Gen60C modules shipped in the quarter.

Ciena 4Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena’s revenue declines again, but growth is on the horizon as its supply chain problems improve.

Marvell 3Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Fresh insights on Marvell’s current and future plans for optical networking.

3Q22 Transport Applications Report

Gen60C modules drive coherent bandwidth growth this quarter while Compact Modular and ROADM equipment sales outperform.

3Q22 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

North American Cloud operators were the growth engine for optical and packet transport sales, supply chains remained strained.

3Q22 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

Optical sales declined due to supply chain and currency effects, while routing hardware sales continue to grow.

Ciena’s buying two firms so it can bring more to the edge

Mentioned: Kyle Hollasch on Ciena’s acquisition of Tibit and Benu

Infinera 3Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Product revenue jumps 20%, while ICE6 shipments accelerate.

Coherent 3Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Coherent’s Datacom sales grew more than 10% this quarter and in contrast to Lumentum’s more pessimistic outlook. the company was optimistic about future datacom sales.

Lumentum 3Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Lumentum’s Telecom revenue grew dramatically thanks to recent acquisitions, while Datacom is entering a difficult couple of quarters.

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Nokia 3Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Nokia’s routing and optical businesses are weathering a downturn in EMEA with increasing success in North America and RoAPAC.

Ciena Ups its Router Game to Address the New Metro

Introduces a new, high capacity aggregation router to address emerging metro requirements.

Smartoptics Takes Leading Role in Sustainable Optical Networking

Mentioned: Kyle Hollasch on Smartoptics IP-over-DWDM initiatives

Previewing 800/1.6Tbs Client Optics

Understanding the next wave of 100Gbps and 200Gbps PAM4-based modules

ECOC 2022 Reflections

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson’s thoughts on ECOC 2022

Ciena 3Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Optical revenue declined -21% due to unexpected supply chain problems.

ECOC 2022 Show Report

Big news coming next year on 1.6T client optics, 200GBaud technology, and a bevy of new coherent DSPs

InnoLight’s New Pluggable Coherent Module Underscores Companies’ Commitment to Driving 10G to 100G Transition

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson on Innolight’s new 100ZR module

Source Photonics Wins ECOC Industry Award for its 400G QSFP-DD and 100G QSFP28 PAM4 Products

Mentioned: Andrew Schmitt on Source Photonics ECOC award

ECOC 2022 – Fracturing of the 400ZR Market

Market Focus Slides Available for Download

2Q22 Optical Components Report

Pluggable 400Gbps optics continues to drive Telecom bandwidth as operators migrate away from lower speeds. Datacom component shipment growth slowed this quarter, but revenue for Datacom is still growing faster than in any other optical segment.

SubTel – Locating Historical Submarine Cables

Mentioned: Kyle Hollasch contributes to SubTel Forum Magazine

2Q22 Transport Applications Report

Coherent bandwidth growth remains muted outside of 400ZR

100ZR – Coherent Optics at the Network Edge

Learn How Network Operators Will Build and Deploy Coherent Technology In Access Networks

II-VI 2Q22 Vendor Summary Report

II-VI acquires Coherent and releases a new coherent DSP during a quarter of growth.

2Q22 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

North American Cloud operators were the growth engine for optical and packet transport sales, supply chains remained strained.

Optical Transport Hardware Sales - North America - 4-Quarter Average

North American WDM Transport Spending Surpasses Pre-Covid Levels

Optical and Packet Transport Spending Weaker in EMEA and Asia

2Q22 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

North American Cloud operators were again the growth engine for optical and packet transport sales

Infinera 2Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Product revenue jumps 13%, while ICE6 shipments are flat.

Lumentum 2Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Lumentum completed its acquisition of Neophotonics and acquired IPG’s module business, moves signaling increased focus on the telecom module market.

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Nokia 2Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Battling supply chain constraints and currency fluctuations, Nokia’s optical and packet businesses maintain flat YoY growth.

Cisco PONC 2022 – Observations and Thoughts

Cisco Packet Optical Networking Conference advanced the RON strategy.

Ciena 2Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena grows packet revenue 72% and WaveLogic port shipments recover. But annual guidance is lowered due to persistent supply chain concerns.

II-VI and ADVA announce a shakeup in the 100ZR market

These companies announced a collaboration on QSFP28 100ZR modules. This report is Cignal AI’s analysis of that announcement and its implications.

Coherent Port Pricing Trends (1Q22)

Cignal AI revisits our Coherent Pricing Trends report from 2019 and provides an update based on recent technology advances.

Cisco Helps Service Providers with Advancements to Its Converged Network Solution

Mentioned: Kyle Hollasch on Cisco’s Routed Optical Networking Architecture

1Q22 Optical Components Report

It’s all about the supply chain again this quarter, but signs point to gains in the second half of the year. 400GbE datacenter optics and 400Gbps pluggable telecom optics are driving their respective segments.

1Q22 Transport Applications Report

Coherent bandwidth growth returns to historical levels & ROADM coverage initiated.

1Q22 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

First-quarter 2022 worldwide optical hardware spending increased 2.5% YoY, while packet gained 2%. North America led growth in both categories.

Marvell 2Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Marvell reported strong datacenter DSP growth and reached the milestone of 100k units shipped of coherent Gen60C DSPs, indicating a healthy market for high-speed optics.

Cisco 1Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Optical revenue from cloud operators continues to grow while Acacia leads Gen60 market share categories in 1Q22.

1Q22 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

First-quarter 2022 North American optical and packet sales continue to rebound despite supply-chain constraints. Excluding NA, both hardware categories declined in 1Q22.

Marvell Achieves Industry-Leading DSP Shipment Milestone

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson on Marvell shipping 100k 400G coherent DSPs.

II-VI 1Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Despite significant supply chain pressures, II-VI posted positive results for the quarter and highlighted better results in the second half of the year.

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Nokia 1Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Stung by supply chain difficulties, Nokia’s optical business declined, while packet continued to outperform.

Lumentum 1Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Despite another quarter of revenue declines, Lumentum is more optimistic about double-digit revenue growth in the second half of 2022 and throughout 2023.

ADVA

ADVA 1Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Record company revenue. North America rebounds. Price hikes will take effect in second half ’22

Coherent Forecast Updates – Adding 800ZR and 1.2Tbps Ports

Cignal AI has updated forecasts for coherent ports in the Transport Applications Report.

ROADM Deployments by Size and Technology

The Transport Application Report now includes ROADM & line system deployment data

Datacom Optical Component Revenue Nearly $5B in 2021

Almost 2M 400GbE Transceivers Shipped for Datacenter Applications

Ciena 1Q22 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena grows hardware revenue 9% and lays the foundation for double-digit growth in 2022.

4Q21 Optical Components Report

This inaugural report commences Cignal AI’s complete coverage of Optical Components, including both revenue and detailed component shipments.

Shipments of 400ZR Pluggable Coherent Modules Jump in 4Q21

Pluggable Coherent shipment volumes are expected to triple in 2022

4Q21 Transport Applications Report

400ZRx Pluggable shipments surge while lower cloud spending holds back Compact Modular in North America.

OFC 2022 Show Report

Key technology takeaways from OFC 2022.

Lightreading Video Interview: OFC2022

Phil Harvey Interviews Andrew Schmitt at OFC 2022

4Q21 Transport Hardware & Markets Report

Fourth-quarter 2021 worldwide optical hardware spending increased 3.5% YoY. Declines centered in APAC for the second consecutive quarter, while all other regions grew YoY.

OIF 1Q22 Member Meeting Results in New Projects

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson on the OIF’s role in the success of 400ZR

OFC 2022 – Marketwatch State of the Industry

Slides available

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Nokia showcases Coherent Routing solution for IP-optical networks

Mentioned: Kyle Hollasch on Nokia IP over DWDM demo

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Infinera 4Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Quarterly and annual revenue hit records while ICE6 shipments double.

Using 400ZR+ To Deploy IP over DWDM

Pluggable coherent deployments are underway. Learn how this powerful technology is transforming network architecture.

OFC 2022 – Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of the hot topics of discussion at OFC 2022

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Nokia 4Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Nokia’s packet and optical businesses performed well in North America while slowing in traditional stronghold EMEA.

II-VI 4Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Optical component revenue was down slightly for the quarter, but strong Datacom results and indicators of future growth are grounds for optimism.

Fujitsu 4Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Fujitsu’s North American revenues finally returned to growth as wireless fronthaul and compact modular revenue grew.

Lumentum 4Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Although Lumentum posted revenue declines in both Telecom and Datacom, segments the company is optimistic about long-term growth in the two markets.

Ciena 4Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena has a record revenue quarter – and record backlog as supply chain challenges continue.

3Q21 Transport Customer Markets Report

Cloud operator and traditional telco spending leads rebound in North America

Marvell 4Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Marvell’s Industry Analyst Day provided excellent insight into the company’s views on the roadmaps for intra-datacenter and pluggable coherent optics.

3Q21 Transport Applications Report

Compact Modular equipment sales continued to surge while Chinese coherent port shipments stalled.

3Q21 Optical Components Report

Initial Optical Components report, in Beta – for access to the report, please contact [email protected].

IP-over-DWDM and Coherent Pluggables to Impact Metro WDM Spending

Metro forecasts cut as historical growth rate of 6% is expected to flatten by 2023

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Marvell and OE Solutions Lead the 10G to 100G Transition

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson on Marvell and OE solutions announcement.

3Q21 Transport Hardware Report

Optical forecasts were reduced by $1.1B worldwide in 2025 due to a shift of coherent optics into router-based DCO’s.

Infinera 3Q21 Vendor Summary Report

ICE6 ships in volume, but supply chain challenges keep revenue flat.

II-VI 3Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Despite supply chain issues, II-VI expects revenue growth in optical communications and consumer components.

400ZR IPoDWDM – Market Impact and Forecast

How will the adoption of 400ZR and ZR+ pluggable coherent modules impact Metro WDM equipment spending?

Lumentum 3Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Lumentum’s revenue above guidance was overshadowed by the announcement to purchase Neophotonics.

Lumentum & Neophotonics Merger

Cignal AI’s observations on the proposed merger.

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Nokia 3Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Nokia’s optical business declined against an elevated 3Q20, while packet sales continued their steady growth.

Beyond 400ZR Title Slide

Beyond 400ZR – Expanding the Reach of Pluggable Coherent

Learn How High-Performance Coherent Pluggables Can Address a Broad Set of Network Applications

400ZR vs 800G – Classifying Coherent Technology

The historical classification of coherent optical technology (Gen1, Gen2, etc.) is no longer sufficient. Therefore, Cignal AI will now recognize and classify coherent DSP technology by its maximum baud rate and whether the DSP is optimized for Performance or Compact applications.

2Q21 Transport Applications Report

Compact modular sales again outperformed the overall optical hardware market while Packet-OTN sales declined. 400ZR is shipping but is supply limited.

Cisco/Acacia Announces 1.2Tbps DSP and Coherent Module

Development moves past 90+ GBaud directly to 120+

Acacia Unveils 1.2T Multi-Haul Pluggable Module

Mentioned: Scott Wilkinson on Acacia’s new product announcement

Ciena 3Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena starts out the second half of 2021 strong, but supply chain headwinds threaten further growth.

2Q21 Transport Customer Markets Report

Optical spending by North American Traditional Telco carriers declined YoY; Cloud & Colo optical spending worldwide slowed as NA spending stalled.

North American Optical Transport Spending to Accelerate

Long-Haul WDM Spending Mix Reaches Record Levels

ADTRAN, ADVA to merge for metro to access play

Mentioned: ADTRAN and ADVA have announced a merger

2Q21 Transport Hardware Report

First-quarter 2021 worldwide optical hardware spending was down slightly YoY, Chinese optical hardware spending was down significantly.

Cisco 2Q21 Vendor Summary Report

It was a big quarter for 600G coherent port shipments and sales to Cloud Operators.

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Nokia 2Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Consistent worldwide results and a new effort to close the coherent gap with DCOs.

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Infinera 2Q21 Vendor Summary Report

More ICE6 trials and wins as Infinera now ships for revenue; 600bps port shipments rebound.

ADVA 2Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Record Q2 profitability – Sales hit by 10% due to supply chain issues – EMEA continues to rebound

OpenROADM Update

Nearly 5 years after the project’s inception, AT&T disclosed it has deployed OpenROADM-based networks across a dozen US metros.

OFC 2021: 400ZR/ZR+ Coherent Pluggables

After years of anticipation, 400G pluggable digital coherent optics (DCO) will finally achieve general availability and initial deployment in 2021.

1Q21 Transport Applications Report

400Gbps+ port shipments doubled YoY, 400ZR ports started to ship, and compact modular sales significantly outperformed the overall optical hardware market this quarter.

OFC2021 Marketwatch SOTI Slide

OFC21: Marketwatch State of the Industry

Quick thoughts on equipment spending trends as well as a current view on the role of pluggable coherent modules.

OFC21: 800G Coherent and Beyond

Several vendors are shipping 800Gbps capable coherent optical solutions, and now the industry must consider the next steps in development.

Ciena 2Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena is well-positioned to return to growth in the second half of 2021 as multiple factors align in its favor. 

OFC21: Co-packaged Optics

Co-packaged optics (CPO) moved from hero experiments to discussions of commercial roadmaps this year. In this update from OFC21, we cover the key points about CPO discussed at the show.

GEN90P Coherent Trials and Deployments

Cignal AI continues to track announcements of 5th generation (800Gbps-capable, 90+ GBaud) optical trials and deployments.

1Q21 Transport Customer Markets Report

Optical spending by North American Traditional Telco carriers declined steeply YoY compared to a heavily frontloaded 1Q20, but show signs of longer term recovery. Cloud & Colo optical spending worldwide slowed as NA spending stalled in 2020 and APAC is just beginning to take off.

Marvell Announces DSP for Pluggable Markets

Marvell, in conjunction with newly closed acquisition Inphi, announced it’s latest generation 400ZR DSP – Deneb.

Cignal AI Welcomes New Analyst Kyle Hollasch

Addition Brings Unique Perspective and Expands Firm’s Research Coverage

650K Coherent Ports Shipped by Cisco and Acacia

In conjunction with OFC, Cisco published a note quantifying the total volume of coherent ports shipped with Acacia and Cisco technologies combined.

Spending Rebounds for Worldwide Optical and Packet Transport

Long Term Chinese Capex Growth Trend Slows

1Q21 Transport Hardware Report

First quarter optical spending was down compared to the Covid-impacted 1Q20. Packet transport sales, which suffered a year ago from operational issues, increased sharply.

Infinera Investor Day 2021

Infinera provided new details on ICE6, XR Optics, Groove Compact Modular, and opportunities to displace Huawei.

Preview Video for OFC 2021 – Part 1

In a video produced by OFC, Scott Wilkinson previews the important topics expected during OFC 2021 such as embedded optics and fifth-generation coherent & pluggable optics.

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Nokia 1Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Exceptional optical and packet hardware sales. Significant wins, despite delays in next generation coherent optical technology, will provide momentum for the year.

Infinera 1Q21 Vendor Summary Report

ICE6 is shipping to customers, while 600Gbps port shipments grow and support for 400Gbps pluggable optics is added to existing systems.

TeliaCarrier 400ZR Plans

Telia Carrier – Open Optical Networks and 400ZR

TeliaCarrier’s plans for deploying 400ZR and growing its network post-COVID

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ADVA 1Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Record Revenue and Orders – North America Rebound Coming – Components Become 10% of Business During Next Three Years

Tencent, Coherent CFP2 ZR+ and Optical White Boxes

Chinese webscale operator Tencent has been developing its own white box for optical transport. In this report we provide more details of Tencent’s work, including its adoption of CFP2 400Gbps optics.

The Growth of Compact Modular in APAC

Compact Modular sales (and hence disaggregation) have historically lagged in APAC versus the rest of the world, so APAC’s sudden and extraordinary growth over the past few quarters means that something has changed and deserves a closer look.

400G+ Coherent Optics Shipments Triple During 2020

Ciena Accounts for Nearly Half of 3rd and 5th Gen Coherent Ports

4Q20 Transport Applications Report

4Q20 Compact Modular sales significantly outperformed the overall optical market, as APAC sales more than doubled and surpassed EMEA sales for the first time. 400ZR forecasts for 2022 and beyond were increased based on growing operator interest.

North American Cloud and Traditional Telco CapEx Drops in Fourth Quarter

But a return to Growth in NA is expected in 2H21. Exceptional 4Q APAC Cloud & Colo Operator Spending.

Inphi Announces Production Ramp of 400ZR and ZR+ QSFP-DD Transceivers

Inphi announced that the development of its 400ZR module is complete and that the products have reached production availability.

Ciena 1Q21 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena’s revenue decline this quarter was steeper than our forecast, but the company is poised to grow revenues based on the success of its WaveLogic 5e 5th generation coherent technology.

4Q20 Transport Customer Markets Report

North American Traditional Telco spending on optical and packet hardware declined significantly in the 4th quarter, due to a dramatic reshuffling of capex spurred by the pandemic during the first half of 2020. Meanwhile, APAC Cloud & Colo spending exploded. Long term, hardware sales in all markets are predicted to return to growth in the second half of 2021.

4Q20 Transport Hardware Report

North American optical and packet transport spending plummeted in North America as Tier 1s concentrated COVID-related capex in the first half of the year.

Infinera 4Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Infinera originally expected its ICE6 technology to enter the market in the second half of 2020. The company’s current guidance now indicates a 2H21 arrival. Infinera reports a strong order pipeline but has not specified exactly when the first ICE6 will ship for revenue.

North American Transport Spending Plummets in Q4

Purchases of optical and packet transport hardware dropped sharply in the fourth quarter as operators exhausted capex earlier in the year.

400ZR+ First Field Trial

Windstream announced it performed a field trial of Acacia 400ZR+ modules in Cisco compact modular equipment. This is a notable event because it is the first public trial of extended reach 4th gen pluggable coherent 400ZR+ modules and the first demonstration of 400ZR+ modules using the larger CFP2 format.

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Nokia 4Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Nokia fared better than its largest competitors in 2020 as it ended the year flat YoY but carrying significant momentum – especially in routing – as it heads into 2021.

Juniper 4Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Juniper exceeded expectations in 2020, a notable feat as the overall market was difficult for switching and routing. Much of the company’s success comes from its recently diversified customer base away from Tier 1 concentration.

Cisco 4Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Cisco’s transport product line had a tough 2020 as the company introduced new products in the middle of a pandemic. Sales also declined sharply in Q4, reflecting a slowdown in the NA market.

Fujitsu 4Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Fujitsu’s revenues shifted from NA to Japan in 2020 as legacy platform revenue has declined. However, the company’s compact modular strategy is taking off in Japan and will grow in NA in 2021.

2021 Outlook: Optical & Packet Transport

This report provides a summary of Cignal AI’s current outlook for the year. Creating forecasts for 2020 was uniquely challenging and forecasting the expected return to normal by the end of 2021 is also very complex.

Dramatic Shift in Network Operator Spending on Optical and Packet Transport Gear in North America

Expenditures by North American cloud and colocation operators on optical and packet transport equipment declined 20 percent year over year in the third quarter of 2020 (3Q20), while incumbent operator spending increased 2 percent.

Compact Modular Grows Faster Than Overall Optical Market in 3Q20

Global compact modular revenue grew 24 percent in the third quarter of 2020 (3Q20) over the prior year, versus just 7 percent for the total optical market.

Webinar – How 400ZR Impacts Networks in 2021

Get ready for the 2021 rollout with commentary from Inphi, Arista, and Microsoft on evaluation results and plans for rolling out 400ZR in 2021.

Ciena 4Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena’s sales declined last quarter, primarily due to weakness in NA optical sales. Gen5 coherent (800Gbps-capable) port shipments topped 3600 shipped to date.

Telia Carrier Leans on Pluggable Optics for a Simpler Network

Lightreading covered an announcement by Telia Carrier that it was one of the first major network operators to use pluggable 400ZR and OpenZR+ coherent modules.

3Q20 Transport Applications Report

Compact modular sales grew much faster than the optical market overall, with significant growth in APAC this quarter. 400ZR and ZR+ modules began sampling with several hundred modules shipped for evaluation.

OIF Completes Transport SDN API Interoperability Demonstration

OIF members participated in a ten-week long interoperability testing exercise in Telefonica’s Madrid lab in order to conduct a multi-vendor demonstration within Telefonica’s network with participation from China Telecom and TELUS.

3Q20 Transport Customer Markets Report

North America transport hardware spending growth shifted dramatically this quarter from Cloud & Colo operators to Incumbents. APAC Cloud & Colo optical sales grew again.

EMEA Optical and Packet Transport Spending Bounces Back in 3Q20

European operators resumed purchases of optical and packet transport hardware in 3Q20 as COVID-related supply chain and operational delays eased.

3Q20 Transport Hardware Report

Third quarter results were better than forecast, especially in EMEA where both optical and packet hardware spending increased. North America spending declined while China spending was flat and Japan spending growth continued unabated.

Cisco 3Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Cisco’s results and forecast this quarter were more optimistic than last quarter. Optical and packet sales slowed, but an uptick at the end of the quarter hinted at a better than expected finish for the year.

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Nokia 3Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Nokia had an extraordinary Q3, with overall growth significantly higher than the market. Much of this growth came from Q2’s delayed sales.

Infinera 3Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Infinera’s optical and packet sales grew in Q3 and the company set expectations for continued growth in Q4, running counter to earlier industry forecasts of a slowdown in the second half.

Juniper 3Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Juniper defied forecasts of a flat to down second half of 2020 by posting one of its best growth quarters in recent history in Q3.

Webinar – Open Optical Networking

Explore a New Era of open Transport Networking. Hear Infinera & Telefonica’s Perspective on defining and delivering open optical networking.

5G Optimized Packet Transport for Mobile Fronthaul

The diverse requirements of 5G require both the radios and the network supporting the radios to be updated. This report covers advances in 5G packet fronthaul and includes an overview of existing vendor solutions.

Acacia Strengthens Portfolio with New Coherent Bi-Directional Pluggables

Acacia announced further enhancements to its 100G coherent pluggable product line targetted at edge and access applications.

Coherent Pluggables to Transform Optical Transport Market by 2024

Fourth-generation coherent will extend beyond 400ZR to include higher performance solutions generally referred to as 400ZR+ and lower speed 100Gbps (100ZR) targeted at the metro edge.

2Q20 Transport Customer Markets Report

Cloud & Colo optical spending in North America cooled while spending in APAC was unexpectedly strong this quarter.

Ciena 3Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena’s healthy 3rd quarter performance was overshadowed by expectations of a pandemic-induced slowdown for the next few quarters.

2Q20 Transport Applications Report

This report includes our initial forecasts of the 100ZR and 400ZR+ markets.. Compact Modular sales grew much faster than the overall market this quarter as disaggregation continues to gain traction in networks outside of Cloud & Colo.

2Q20 Transport Hardware Report

Second quarter results were mixed. Forecasted growth in Q2 from sales pushed out of Q1 did not materialize as anticipated and carriers indicated that annual CapEx will not be increased – suggesting a flat to down second half of the year.

Transport Hardware Misses Expected Bounce Back in 2Q20

Delayed order fulfillment due to COVID supply chain impact earlier this year didn’t materialize as expected.

Cisco 2Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Cisco reported a sharp decrease in orders across the company, although the decline in orders from service providers (-5%) was milder than other areas.

Infinera 2Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Despite ongoing operational issues due to COVID, increasing operator demand drove Infinera’s optical sales this quarter, and the company expects an even stronger second half.

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Nokia 2Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Nokia reported rising demand from customers but a continued COVID impact on the supply chain, resulting in a down quarter in almost every region and product segment.

ADVA 2Q20 Vendor Summary Report

ADVA reported YoY growth in the second quarter but retracted guidance for the rest of the year, a narrative that will be echoed by many vendors in Q2.

Coherent Port Pricing Trends (1Q20)

Our 3Q18 report showed coherent optical port pricing dropping at 26% per year. This report examines the stability of that trend over the last 12 months as new coherent systems entered the market.

Ciena 2Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Ciena expects to generate revenue growth of 2-4% in a flat (ex-China) market in 2020, implying declines YoY for optical sales in the second half of the year.

1Q20 Transport Applications Report

Packet-OTN sales doubled in NA as carriers responded to COVID-19, and shipments of 400Gbps+ ports doubled YoY as Chinese equipment companies entered production.

1Q20 Transport Customer Markets Report

North American Incumbent optical spending was up almost 50% YoY while Wholesale, Cable/MSO, and Cloud spending all declined this quarter.

1Q20 Transport Hardware Report

Vendors generally claimed a 5-10% reduction in sales due to COVID-19 operational issues this quarter. While demand increased, the inability to get parts, manufacture equipment, and deliver to end customers reduced sales in all areas.

1Q20 network operator capex jump didn’t help everyone

Lightwave published an article summarizing 1Q20 optical hardware results using data from our report.

Network Operators Accelerate Capex in Response to COVID-19

The effects of COVID-19 simultaneously catalyzed demand for transport equipment and paralyzed supply chains worldwide during the first quarter of 2020.

Nokia PSE-V Coherent Chipset

Overview and analysis of Nokia’s fifth generation of coherent DSPs, the PSE-Vs, and PSE-Vc.

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Nokia launches WaveFabric Elements optical portfolio for 400G ecosystem

Nokia launched it’s 5th generation coherent solution. This includes new PSE-5 DSPs, new CSTAR silicon photonics from its Elenion acquisition, and pluggable CFP2-DCO and QSFP-288DD pluggable modules.

Infinera 1Q20 Vendor Summary Report

On the Q1 earnings call, Infinera CEO Tom Fallon emphasized that margins were “compressed” by the inability to ship higher-margin new technology to offset of the lower-margin 200Gbps optics.

Cisco 1Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Cisco’s 1Q20 results.

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Nokia 1Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Nokia’s 1Q20 results.

ADVA 1Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers ADVA’s 1Q20 results.

Ciena 1Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Ciena’s 1Q20 results.

Acacia 1Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Acacia’s results are a bellwether to the industry. This report looks at the most recent results for the company and examines them in the context of historical trends.

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Tejas 1Q20 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Tejas 1Q20 results.

OIF Publishes Implementation Agreement for 400ZR

The OIF announced that the official release of the 400ZR implementation agreement is now available for download.

COVID-19 Impact – 2020 Forecast Update

Cignal AI updated the 2020 optical and packet transport hardware forecast with our best estimates of the impact of COVID-19.

Infinera Unveils More Compact Modular Optical Transport Solutions

Infinera announced new versions of the Groove chassis to support 5th generation coherent ICE6 optics and provide feature enhancements to better address applications outside of cloud and colo operators.

OFC2020 Optical Hardware Review

Major optical transport equipment vendors did not present at OFC in March due to COVID-19 concerns, but that did not stop announcements of products and online updates to customers and analysts.

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4Q19 Transport Customer Markets Report

Cloud & Colo optical spending growth cooled in the 4th quarter but still led growth for the year with Ciena as market share leader. North American Incumbent and Cable/MSO optical spending came back strong in the 4th quarter.

4Q19 Transport Applications Report

Compact Modular sales growth slowed in North America in the 4th quarter, but sales growth outside of NA was exceptionally strong and total worldwide sales grew nearly 50% year-over-year.

North American Optical Sales Rebound In 2019

Recent optical sales in North America were encouraging – up more than 25% for 4Q19 and 10% for all of 2019 according to the most recent Transport Hardware Report from research firm Cignal AI.

4Q19 Transport Hardware Report

This report finalizes our full optical equipment market share analysis and includes updated forecasts for the industry through 2024.

Infinera 4Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Infinera’s 4Q19 results.

Acacia Builds Upon Coherent Pluggable Leadership with 400G Portfolio

Acacia announced a new family of 400G coherent pluggable optics for 400ZR/Open ROADM applications based on the new 7nm Greylock DSP.

Cisco 4Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Cisco’s 4Q19 results.

OFC 2020 Preview and Predictions

The Optical Fiber Communications Conference is the most significant industry trade and technical show for optical communications. In preparation for the event, Cignal AI has compiled a list of what to watch at OFC and what announcements to expect.

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Nokia 4Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Nokia’s 4Q19 results.

Juniper 4Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Juniper’s 4Q19 results.

Ciena 4Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Ciena’s 4Q19 results.

Is 2020 the year for data center network 400G?

Lightwave gathered opinions from several people in the industry to look at the opportunity for 400G in the data center during 2020.

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Expanding Our Market Research to Include Packet Networks

Cignal AI invites you to attend an overview presentation about the expansion of Cignal AI’s optical hardware research to include comprehensive coverage of packet switching and routing in service provider transport networks.

The Era of 400G Coherent Pluggables Finally Emerges

Gazettabyte authored a lengthy article about the sampling of the first 400G DSP for use in pluggable applications. It included an interview with Inphi, Neophotonics, and analysts including Andrew Schmitt.

Cisco: The Future of the Internet

Cisco held a major launch event to communicate that the company is reorienting its focus to changing network architectures and customers. The deeper message was one of cultural changes at Cisco.

Inphi Samples Industry’s First 400ZR QSFP-DD Transceiver

Inphi announced it sampled the industry’s first 400ZR QSFP-DD module to major cloud operators and equipment manufacturers.

5th Gen Coherent Optics – 4Q19 Update

An update to October’s State of 5th Generation Optics report based on recent developments at Ciena and Infinera.

3Q19 Optical Customer Markets Report

Cloud & Colo led growth in North America, up 45% this quarter. Ciena increased its market share to over 50% in 3Q19.

3Q19 Optical Applications Report

200G coherent shipments from China exceeded forecasts, worldwide shipments of 100G coherent ports will now decline until lower-cost alternatives emerge.

3Q19 Optical Hardware Report

This report finalizes our full optical equipment market share analysis and includes updated forecasts for the industry through 2023.

Cisco 3Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Cisco’s 3Q19 results.

Infinera 3Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Infinera’s 3Q19 results.

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Nokia 3Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Nokia’s 3Q19 results.

Inphi Samples Industry’s First Coherent DSP Enabling 400G Pluggables

Inphi announced it sampled its new Canopus coherent DSP, the industry’s first merchant 7nm coherent DSP designed to support 400ZR and 400ZR+ applications. Andrew Schmitt commented in the press release, joined by others from Arista and Juniper.

Ciena 3Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Ciena’s 3Q19 results.

The State of 5th Generation Optics

In this report, we survey recent coherent optical progress and provide an overview of the market status of 5th generation coherent optics.

ECOC 2019 Notes and Observations

Hosted in Dublin this year, ECOC 2019 offered three days of interaction with primarily component companies. Equipment and service provider attendance was minimal, although a handful did make the trip to the component-centric show.

Infinera Announces XR Optics

Infinera introduced its roadmap concept for XR optics, the industry’s first point-to-multipoint coherent optical subcarrier aggregation technology. Andrew Schmitt provided editorial commentary in the release.

Inphi Announces Volume Production Shipments of Porrima PAM4 Platform

Inphi announced that it was first to production with a 100Gbps/400Gbps Single-Lambda PAM4, a complete 56GBaud solution with linear TIA and drivers.

Compact Modular Market Slows as Customers Evaluate 600G

Sales of Compact Modular platforms slowed during the second quarter of the year despite significant growth from market leader Ciena.

2Q19 Optical Customer Markets Report

Incumbent spending grew in every region, Cloud & Colo spending growth slowed, and Cable & MSO sales declined.

3Q19 Optical Hardware Tracker

The Cignal AI 3rd quarter 2019 (3Q19) Optical Hardware market share tracker is now active. The tracker gives clients a real-time view of market results as they are released.

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Webinar – Disaggregated Optical Networks

Forward-looking operators use disaggregation to build agile optical transport networks.

2Q19 Optical Applications Report

Over a quarter of North American compact modular sales were for long haul deployments as applications continue to expand.

2Q19 Optical Hardware Report

This report finalizes our full optical equipment market share analysis and includes updated forecasts for the industry through 2023.

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Huawei 2Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Huawei’s 2Q19 results.

Growth Returns as Optical Hardware Spending Increases in Every Region

Optical hardware spending grew in every region and for every business segment during 2Q19.

Infinera 2Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Infinera’s 2Q19 results.

New Projects at the OIF 3Q19 Meeting

Andrew Schmitt spoke at the Optical Internetworking Forum’s 3Q19 meeting in Montreal on July 30th, 2019. The OIF press release mentioned the two new projects kicked off at the meeting as well as highlighted Andrew’s presentation on 400ZR, which was attended by about 100 OIF members.

Ciena 2Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Ciena’s 2Q19 results.

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Nokia 2Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Nokia’s 2Q19 results.

North America: Less Demand or More Efficiency?

Optical hardware spending has been declining in North America since 2015. In this report, we examine the question of whether North America’s decline in overall optical spending signifies a long-term trend and whether EMEA and the rest of the world will follow this same trend.

OIF 3Q19 Meeting Presentation

Andrew Schmitt gave a presentation on July 30th, 2019 during the Optical Internetworking Forum quarterly meeting. He was asked to give a brief overview of emerging pluggable coherent technologies and the opportunity this new market presents.

ADVA 2Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers ADVA’s 2Q19 results.

Cloud and Colo Optical Hardware Spending Increases by 50% in North America

Cloud and colo operator spending on optical communications hardware continued to spur market growth in the first quarter of 2019.

Compact Modular Optical Sales Expand, Reaching Over $275M

Compact modular optical hardware is being used in more network applications than ever before, driving up sales during the first quarter of 2019 as reported in the latest Optical Applications Report from market research firm Cignal AI.

Cisco Buys Acacia

Acacia is a transformational acquisition that can vault Cisco into a market leadership position as the world transitions to disaggregated network design and pluggable, interoperable coherent optics.

Opinions abound on Cisco’s purchase of Acacia

LightWave summarized the opinions of several people in the optics industry about the $2.6B proposed acquisition of Acacia by Cisco.

Cisco to Buy Acacia for Pluggable Optical Goodness

LightReading reported on Cisco’s proposed acquisition of Acacia and requested a quote from Cignal AI.

ITW 2019 Observations

Cignal AI attended the 2019 International Telecoms Week (ITW) in Atlanta June 24-26. ITW is a trade show focused on the wholesale telecommunications market and is attended primarily by network…

2Q19 Optical Hardware Tracker

The Cignal AI 2nd quarter 2019 (2Q19) Optical Hardware market share tracker is now active. The tracker gives clients a real-time view of market results as they are released.

1Q19 Optical Customer Markets Report

Cignal AI has issued the 1Q19 Optical Customer Markets Report

Optical Hardware Spending Growth Surges Over 80% in Japan

Japan’s optical hardware spending surge continued for the fourth quarter in a row with an extraordinary 82% year-over-year increase in the first quarter of 2019.

1Q19 Optical Applications Report

Cignal AI’s 1Q19 Optical Hardware Applications Report has been issued.

What’s Next for Neophotonics?

LightReading summarized the challenges faced by Neophotonics as a result of the ban on component shipments to Huawei. The article quoted Andrew Schmitt at length about the potential outcome of the ban and the prospect for M&A activity involving Neophotonics as a result.

1Q19 Optical Hardware Live Presentation

Cignal AI presents the results from the 1Q19 Optical Hardware Report.

1Q19 Optical Hardware Report

This report finalizes our full optical equipment market share analysis and includes updated forecasts for the industry through 2023.

NGON 2019 Notes and Observations

The Next Generation Optical Networks trade show (NGON) was in Nice, France May 21-23, and Cignal AI was in attendance.

Fujitsu 1Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Fujitsu’s 1Q19 results.

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Nokia 1Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Nokia’s 1Q19 results.

Infinera 1Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Infinera’s 1Q19 results.

Ciena 1Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Ciena’s 1Q19 results.

ADVA 1Q19 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers ADVA’s 1Q19 results.

Success Story: OIF Tunable Laser Standardization Efforts

OIF standardization initiatives catalyzed a transition from multiple proprietary tunable laser solutions to a nearly universally used standard

Record Spending on Cloud Operator Optical Networks Drives Growth in 2018

Cloud operator spending on optical hardware grew almost 50 percent year-over-year to reach well over over $1 billion in 2018, according to the most recent (4Q18) Optical Customer Markets Report from research firm Cignal AI.

1Q19 Optical Hardware Tracker

The Cignal AI 1st quarter 2019 (1Q19) Optical Hardware market share tracker is now active. The tracker gives clients a real-time view of market results as they are released.

4Q18 Optical Customer Markets Webinar

Cignal AI presents the results from the 4Q18 Optical Customer Markets Report.

4Q18 Optical Customer Markets Report

Cignal AI has issued the 4Q18 Optical Customer Markets Report

4Q18 Optical Applications Webinar

Cignal AI presents the results from the 4Q18 Optical Applications Report.

4Q18 Optical Applications Report

Cignal AI’s 4Q18 Optical Hardware Applications Report has been issued.

4Q18 Optical Hardware Webinar

Cignal AI presents the results from the 4Q18 Optical Hardware Report.

NGON 2019 Webinar: Disaggregation

Scott Wilkinson, Lead Analyst for Optical Hardware, recently moderated a discussion on “Disaggregation Strategies & Transport SDN” in advance of the NGON & DCI World conference in Nice. Scott…

OFC2019 – 5G and MSO Access

5G mobile technology and the cable/MSO initiative Fiber Deep are generating interest in new and unique optical networking solutions

OFC2019 – Inside the Datacenter

The next major stop on the road to faster speeds in the datacenter is 400Gbps Ethernet, and activity at OFC2019 centered on making this speed a feasible commercial option.

OFC2019 – Open and Disaggregated Networks

Open and disaggregated network equipment, software, and standards were a common theme on the floor and in presentations at OFC this year.

OFC2019 – Compact Modular

The compact modular format continues to be the fastest growing segment of the optical hardware market. In this section, the announcements and demonstrations at OFC are detailed.

OFC2019 – Coherent Technology

Coherent announcements and roadmaps at the show focused on two themes: lowering the power of coherent technology for use in pluggable applications and increasing baud rates to raise the maximum capacity of a single wavelength beyond 600Gbps. And despite few new ROADM announcements, there was a spirited debate about future ROADM architectures.

OFC 2019 – Marketwatch Presentations

Scott Wilkinson and Andrew Schmitt gave presentations about 5G and 400ZR during the OFC2019 Marketwatch program. Download a copy of their slides.

Long-Haul Deployment Growth Sets Stage for Increased Spending in 2019

Long-haul WDM deployments rebounded in the fourth quarter of 2018 (4Q18) with growth of nearly 20 percent, fueled by a reversal of almost two years of a terrestrial spending decline in North America and a year-over-year surge in Japan.

Acacia Communication’s Pico DSP and AC1200 Builds Industry Momentum

Before OFC, Acacia highlighted progress towards bringing the AC1200 optical module and Pico DSP to production with customer field trials of its components in Adva and Cisco equipment.

4Q18 Optical Hardware Report

This report finalizes our full optical equipment market share analysis and includes updated forecasts for the industry through 2023.

Infinera 4Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Infinera’s 4Q18 results.

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Nokia 4Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Nokia’s 4Q18 results.

Cisco 4Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Cisco’s 4Q18 results.

Cisco and Verizon Demonstrate the Benefit of Multi-Haul Transport

Cisco mentioned multi-haul, our concept of a coherent link that is capable of operating across a wide range of speeds and distance, in a blog detailing the results of a trial with Verizon of their new NCS1004 platform.

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Huawei 4Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Huawei’s 4Q18 results.

Ciena 4Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Ciena’s 4Q18 results.

Impact of 5G on the Optical Hardware Market (Part 2)

Despite early claims that the optical network must be upgraded to realize the capabilities of 5G, network operators are instead building the radio network first and updating the optical network only when needed.

Ciena Introduces WaveLogic 5 to Fuel the Content Economy

Ciena announced its latest generation of coherent technology with a dual strategy of pushing coherent speeds to 800Gbs as well as delivering low power pluggable 400ZR solutions.

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Tejas 4Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Tejas’ 4Q18 results.

Fujitsu 4Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Fujitsu’s 4Q18 results.

Infinera Announces ICE6

Infinera announced the details and schedule for ICE6, its next-generation coherent engine featuring 800G operation. It is a 1.6T monolithic PIC co-packaged with a new internally developed 7nm DSP.

OFC 2019 Preview and Predictions

The 2019 Optical Fiber Conference is less than a month away. Cignal AI’s analysts have compiled a list of predictions and expectations for what we expect to see from vendors and other OFC participants.

Impact of 5G on the Optical Hardware Market (Part 1)

Despite early claims that the optical network must be upgraded to realize the capabilities of 5G, network operators are instead building the radio network first and updating the optical network only when needed.

4Q18 Optical Hardware Tracker

The Cignal AI 4th quarter 2018 (4Q18) Optical Hardware market share tracker is now active. This interactive page tracks hardware sales as results are reported for the quarter.

3Q18 Coherent Port Pricing Trends

This report examines trends in coherent port pricing from multiple vendors and for the industry overall.

2018 Cloud and Colo Optical Equipment Spending Will Exceed $1.4 Billion

Incumbent operator spending in Asia remains strong and now represents 35% of all optical hardware spending worldwide according to the 3Q18 Optical Markets Report.

3Q18 Optical Hardware Webinar

On December 13, 2018, Cignal AI presented their results from the 3Q 2018 Optical Hardware Report.

3Q18 Optical Customer Markets Report

Cignal AI has issued the 3Q18 Optical Customer Markets Report

200G to Capture Over a Quarter of Coherent WDM Market in 2018

Infinera + Coriant Challenge Ciena for Compact Modular Market Leadership

3Q18 Optical Applications Report

Cignal AI’s 3Q18 Optical Hardware Applications Report has been issued.

400ZR – The 4th Generation Coherent Opportunity

The arrival of standardized, pluggable 400ZR and derivative technologies – fourth generation coherent – is poised to be the most disruptive event in optical hardware since the advent of coherent 100G in 2010.

Optical Hardware Revenue Growth by Region (3Q18)

Cignal AI Increases Forecasts for Asia Based on Strong 3Q18 Results

Optical Hardware Report Shows 8th Consecutive Quarter of Spending Declines in North America Despite Strength of Cloud and Colo Market

3Q18 Optical Hardware Report

This report finalizes our full optical equipment market share analysis and includes updated forecasts for the industry through 2022. It is released once results for the current quarter (3Q18) are complete. Clients have been able to see company results as they were released during the quarter via the Optical Hardware Tracker, a service unique to Cignal AI.

3Q18 Optical Hardware Tracker

The Cignal AI 3rd quarter 2018 (3Q18) Optical Hardware market share tracker is now active. This tracker allows clients to download a real-time view of industry results as companies report. Updates are made continuously and are reflected in the tracking table below.

Infinera / Coriant 3Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Fujitsu’s 3Q18 results.

Fujitsu 3Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Fujitsu’s 3Q18 results.

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Nokia 3Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Nokia’s 3Q18 results.

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Huawei 3Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Huawei’s 3Q18 results.

II-VI to acquire Finisar for $3.2 billion

Lightwave summarized the acquisition of Finisar by II-VI and requested commentary from Cignal AI.

New York Investor Visits – Raymond James

On November 5th, Andrew Schmitt and Scott Wilkinson traveled to New York for a day of 1:1 meetings with investors and a lunch presentation to a group of investors. Topics included the role compact modular systems would play in shaping operator spending, Chinese spending and technology trends and discussion of the ongoing industry consolidation.

Raymond James released a note summarizing the discussions – some observations are excerpted here:

Ciena 3Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers Ciena’s 3Q18 results, announced August 30, 2018.

Inphi 3Q18 Conference Call

Acacia mentioned data from our Optical Applications report during its calendar first quarter conference call with investors on May 3, 2018. The company referenced our extensive work following the development of the coherent 400G ZR market.

2018 SCTE Cable-Tec Expo: Key Optical Topics

The SCTE Cable-Tec Expo is the premiere technical trade show for North American Cable MSOs and has historically been oriented towards software, analog hardware, outside plant, and HFC-specific equipment. This year a greater number of prominent optical companies joined in. Factor such as fiber deep, native optics, 5G, and virtualization are driving optical deployments into the MSOs.

ADVA 3Q18 Vendor Summary Report

Vendor summary reports focus on the most recent quarterly financial results and items of interest for select vendors. This report covers ADVA’s 3Q18 results, announced October 25, 2018.

Cignal AI Reports Record Cloud and Colo Optical Hardware Spending

Ciena Leads Sales to North American Cloud/Colo Operators as Spending Increases 6 Percent Quarter-Over-Quarter; Huawei Sees Strong Demand from Chinese Cloud Giants

2Q18 Optical Customer Markets Report

Cignal AI has issued the 2Q18 Optical Customer Markets Report

Gazettabyte: Ciena to sell its own coherent modules

Gazettabyte discovers that Ciena is actively hiring people to staff an Optical Microsystems Division including internal salespeople tasked to secure market footprint.

Infinera Acquires Coriant: Now the Hard Work Begins

Infinera’s acquisition of Coriant officially closed on October 1, 2018, and it is yet another example of the absorption of smaller optical networking equipment vendors happening in the market today, although at a scale not seen since Ciena acquired the optical assets of Nortel in 2009. This Active Insight report examines the post-acquisition opportunities and challenges in depth.

Third Generation Coherent Technology (Presentation)

The transition to the latest coherent WDM technology is underway and its effects are rippling through the optical market. This presentation summarizes the history of the coherent market and outlines the technology’s expected evolution over the next 4 years.

Cignal AI Welcomes Scott Wilkinson as Lead Analyst for Optical Hardware Segment

Addition Will Expand Coverage of New Applications for Optical Hardware and Custom Research Capabilities

LIGHTWAVE: Cignal AI boosts 2018 coherent 200G, 400G port shipment forecast

Lightwave writes about our 2Q18 Optical Application report and changes to the 2018 200G & 400G forecast.

Inphi: Sampling Small Form Factor 64GBaud Quad Coherent TIA and Driver

Prior to ECOC 2018 Inphi introduced the industry’s smallest form factor, lowest power and highest performance 64GBaud quad coherent TIA and driver.

Compact Modular Optical Equipment Market on Track to Break $1 Billion in 2018

Cignal AI Raises CY18 200G and 400G Coherent Forecasts

2Q18 Optical Applications Report

Cignal AI’s 2Q18 Optical Hardware Applications Report has been issued.

Australia should reverse its Huawei 5G ban

Hong Kong Paper publishes an editorial from a security consultant.
Read full article >>

Ericsson Strengthens End-to-End Transport Solutions for 5G

Partners with ECI for metro transport and Juniper for routing. Both companies’ equipment will work with Ericsson management software. These partnerships usually don’t move the needle and it is hard…

Cignal AI Reports 2Q18 EMEA Optical Spending Offset Weakness in North America

Huawei Reports Record Revenue in China During ZTE Shutdown

2Q18 Optical Hardware Report

This report finalizes our full optical equipment market share analysis and includes updated forecasts for the industry through 2022. It is released once results for the current quarter (2Q18) are complete. Clients have been able to see company results as they were released during the quarter via the Optical Hardware Tracker, a service unique to Cignal AI.

Cable MSO Spending Increases Sharply in North America

Ciena and Infinera Continue to Take Share in Cloud Market

2Q18 Optical Hardware Tracker

The Cignal AI 2nd quarter 2018 (2Q18) Optical Hardware market share tracker is now complete. This tracker allows clients to download a real-time view of industry results as companies report. Updates are made continuously and are reflected in the tracking table below.

LIGHTWAVE: Coherent 400G, edge 100G future growth catalysts

Lightwave covers our 1Q18 Optical Application report and documents our boost of the 100G coherent market forecast in 2022.

Third Generation Coherent Technology

The transition to the latest coherent WDM technology is underway and its effects are rippling through the optical market. It’s time to take a step back and sort out where things are, what worked, who benefitted, and what happens next. In this Active Insight report, Cignal AI outlines several generations of coherent WDM deployments and examines the catalysts and keys to market success for the third generation of coherent.

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Optical Market Trends Now: ADVA

On August 2, 2018 Cignal AI hosted its first webinar Optical Market Trends Now: ADVA

Lead analyst Andrew Schmitt joined Ulrich Dopfer, ADVA CFO and Stephan Rettenberger, ADVA Senior VP of Marketing and Investor Relations to provide their various perspectives on the optical industry.

Cloud Spending on Optical Hardware – 1Q18 Update

In October 2017,  Cignal AI analyzed the occurrence of a slowdown in spending by cloud & colo operators and quantified the magnitude of its impact (see Analysis: 1H17 Cloud and Colo Spending Slowdown).

1Q18 Optical Customer Markets Report

Cignal AI has issued the 1Q18 Optical Customer Markets Report. Similar to the recent Optical Applications release, this report will now be updated quarterly; previously the report was published every six months.

Cignal AI Increases 100G Forecast as Low-Cost Pluggable Module Demand Expected to Soar in 2021

Optical Applications Report Provides In-Depth Analysis of Coherent Port Shipments by Speed

Packet Pushers Hosts Cignal AI

Andrew Schmitt was invited by Packet Pushers and Scott Wilkinson of ECI to participate in one of its weekly podcasts. While not well known in the service provider world, it is popular among the network engineers of small to large Enterprises. Each podcast has about 10,000 downloads per episode.

1Q18 Optical Applications Report

Cignal AI’s 1Q18 Optical Hardware Applications Report has been issued. Its arrival marks the first quarterly release of this report, which will now be standard practice; previously the report was published every six months.

1Q18 Optical Hardware Report

This report finalizes our full optical equipment market share analysis and has updated forecasts for the industry through 2022. It is released once results for the current quarter (1Q18) are complete, as tabulated in our Optical Hardware Tracker.

Optical Hardware Revenue by Region (1Q18)

Optical Hardware Spending Grows in Europe, Asia Pacific in 1Q18, While North America Falls Flat

Cignal AI Enhances Quarterly Optical Hardware Reports with New Market Tracker Offering Real-Time Visibility into Individual Vendor Results

1Q18 Optical Hardware Tracker

The Cignal AI 1st quarter 2018 (1Q18) Optical Hardware market share tracker is active. This tracker allows clients to download a real-time view of industry results as companies report results. Updates are made continuously and are reflected in the tracking table below.

Ciena – Why the Secret Behind Strong Early Adoption of 400G Technology is … 200G

Ciena references data from the most recent 4Q18 Optical Application report in a blog post that outlines its opinions on how 400G is being deployed.

Acacia 1Q18 Conference Call

Acacia mentioned data from our Optical Applications report during its calendar first quarter conference call with investors on May 3, 2018. The company referenced our extensive work following the development of the coherent 400G ZR market.

4Q17 Optical Customer Markets Report

The 4Q17 edition of the Optical Customer Markets report has been released. It provides insight into how much optical equipment different network operators purchase.

Impact of US Technology Ban on ZTE

On April 16, the United States Department of Commerce announced that ZTE would no longer be allowed to import American technology products. While there is no shortage of media coverage of the ban, Cignal AI aims to provide you with unique insight. We have assembled our observations and conclusions on this remarkable event, and we share answers to some common questions we’ve received as it has transpired.

Cignal AI Increases 400G Forecast, Citing Flexibility of Technology and Expanding Applications

Compact Modular Optical Hardware Outpaces Projections as Adoption Extends Outside Cloud and Colo Customers

OFC 2018 Post-Show Report

Each year, OFC showcases the most noteworthy developments in the optical industry, and this year was no exception. Companies utilized OFC as a venue to announce and demonstrate new products…

4Q17 Optical Applications Report

The 4Q17 edition of the Optical Hardware Applications report has been released. The report contains details on the following areas:

OFC 2018 – Operator Perspectives

Each year at OFC, we have the valuable opportunity to hear from the network operators themselves to better understand their vision for the future network. This year, there were some…

OFC 2018 – 400G Inside the Datacenter

When the conversation at OFC turned to short reach client optics, faster speeds were the central focus.  Several companies announced products and gave demonstrations of 400G capable technology. The 100G…

OFC 2018 – Coherent Technology

Trends in coherent technology generated enthusiasm among the participants at OFC 2018, and 400G ZR applications were of particular interest. Nokia and Infinera outlined next-generation coherent roadmaps, and Acacia and…

OFC 2018 – Compact Modular Equipment

Compact Modular Equipment took center stage at OFC 2018

Nokia PSE-3 Coherent Chipset

On March 6, 2018, Nokia announced its fourth generation coherent optical technology, the PSE-3, which continues the company’s strategy of developing coherent DSP processors in-house.

OFC 2018 – Consolidation

Each year, there is at least one announcement at OFC which surprises the industry. In 2016, the announcement was the introduction of Inphi’s ColorZ, while in 2017 it was news…

Nokia PSE-3 Coherent Chipset

On March 6, 2018, Nokia announced its fourth generation coherent optical technology, the PSE-3, which continues the company’s strategy of developing coherent DSP processors in-house. Nokia is betting that these…

Fujitsu Accelerates Path to 5G with Next-Generation Variable Optical Transport

Fujitsu announced its new 1FINITY T500 and T600 products, adding to its family of compact modular transponders and optical common equipment. The T600 is capable of 600G per wavelength coherent operation using the NTT Electronics DSP.

Inphi Announces World’s First 400Gbps PAM4 Platform Solutions

Inphi announced its 16nm 400Gbps 56GBaud Porrima Single-Lambda PAM4 chip platform. This silicon is required to hit cost points for QSFP56-DD modules that will enable high volume adoption of 400GbE inside data centers.

Nistica launches wavelength management products for data center and 5G mobility applications

This was an announcement for Nistica’s new WSS module, code-named Bernoulli, which is designed for use in compact modular optical open line systems. It fits in the size of a CFP2 module and comes in different versions to perform critical monitoring, power balancing, or optical switching functions.

Microsemi Enables Terabit OTN Switching Cards for Flexible Optical Networks

Microsemi (Acquired PMC-Sierra) announced announced a 1.2 Terabit capacity OTN framer/processor chip, no doubt designed to pair with the flood of 1.2T DSPs hitting the market during 2018. The device can support 400GbE clients as well as Flex-E and has onboard encryption.

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Nokia pushes optical network capacity to theoretical limits with Photonic Service Engine 3 chipset

Nokia announced it’s third generation coherent in-house DSP family. AMopng support for higher modulations and baud rates supporting up to 2x600G transmission, it added probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS) which maximized channel capacity.

4Q17 Optical Hardware Forecast

On February 14th, Cignal AI issued full optical equipment market share analysis for 4th quarter 2017 (4Q17). This second report extends our analysis and summarizes forecasts and outlooks for the industry through 2022.

Investor Call – Piper Jaffray Optical Event

Andrew Schmitt was the featured speaker on an investor call hosted by Troy Jensen of Piper Jaffray on February 21st. Forty-four participants listened in and posed their questions as Andrew…

Optical Hardware Revenue by Region (4Q17)

2017 Optical Hardware Spending Ends on High Note in APAC and EMEA

 Cignal AI Quarterly Optical Hardware Report Also Reveals Lower-than-Anticipated North American Sales

4Q17 Optical Hardware Results

Cignal AI has released its 4th quarter 2017 (4Q17) optical hardware market share analysis, which includes a summary of revenue results for the quarter as well as the entire calendar year 2017 (CY17).

Ciena 4Q17

Ciena released its 4Q17 results followed by a 10-K with supporting information last month. Cignal AI’s summary and analysis follow.

China’s 5 Year Optical Component Plan

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released a five-year plan in December 2017 outlining a roadmap for commercial and technological progress in a broad set of optical technologies. The…

Cignal AI Cuts 2018 EMEA Forecasts in Optical Hardware Report

Quarterly Shipments of Coherent 100G+ Ports Exceed 100,000 Units for the First Time

3Q17 Optical Hardware Forecast

On November 21st, Cignal AI issued full optical equipment market share analysis for 3rd quarter 2017 (3Q17). This second report extends our analysis and summarizes forecasts and outlooks for the industry through 2021.

3Q17 Optical Hardware Results

Cignal AI has released its 3rd quarter 2017 (3Q17) optical hardware market share analysis, which includes a summary of revenue results for the quarter.

Netflix Accelerates Global Video Streaming with Infinera Cloud Xpress 2

Infinera announced that Netflix deployed the Infinera Cloud Xpress 2 to expand their delivery capacity for streaming videos.

Acacia 3Q17 Conference Call

Acacia mentioned data from our Optical Applications report during its third-quarter earnings conference call with investors on November 3, 2017. The company highlighted our unique work to measure and forecast demand for 100G+ coherent deployments at the edge of the network.

Inphi 3Q17 Conference Call

Inphi mentioned adjusting internal forecasts for 100G port growth during its third-quarter earnings conference call with investors on October 31, 2017.

Compact Modular Hardware Introduction Timeline

Analysis: 1H17 Cloud and Colo Spending Slowdown

Cignal AI’s recent Optical Customer Markets Report discovered an unexpected weakness in 2017 optical transport equipment spending from cloud & colo operators (see Cignal AI Reports Unexpected Drop in Cloud and Colo Spending). This surprising trend was then further supported by public comments later made by Juniper and Applied Optoelectronics, prompting us to examine the situation in greater detail.

Infinera Sets Two Industry-First Milestones for Optical Transport Technologies

Infinera published two papers at ECOC 2017 that set new milestones in terms of baud rate (100Gbs) and modulation density (1024 QAM). While these technologies are years away from commercial reality and deployment Infinera is demonstrating a continued commitment to the in-house development of photonic integration and the results it believes this can achieve.

ECOC 2017 – China Observations

This is Cignal AI’s second ECOC 2017 brief, focused on news out of China.

Topics include:

China Inventory and 2018 Demand Ciena Wavelogic AI Licensing Update China ROADM Deployment Outlook…

Cignal AI Reports Unexpected Drop in Cloud and Colo Provider Spending

Optical Customer Market Report Finds Ciena and Cisco Outperforming Peers in Cloud & Colo Market

ECOC 2017 Market Focus Presentation

Andrew Schmitt’s presentation, entitled “Mapping the Future of Optical Deployments,” was one of several featured during this years ECOC Market Focus sessions in Gothenburg, Sweden September 18-20th.

The presentation highlights…

1H17 Optical Customer Markets Report

We’ve released the 1H17 edition of the Optical Customer Markets report. It provides insight into how much optical equipment different segments of network operators purchase.

ECOC2017 – Coherent 100G+

ECOC is one of the most significant conferences in optical networking worldwide. This year’s conference was held in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the event was well attended by the engineering community,…

Inphi samples 16nm Polaris™ PAM4 DSP Product Family with Integrated EML and VCSEL Driver

Inphi announces samples of its latest Polaris PAM-4 DSP for inside the data center which. This is the PAM-4 engine that powers optical modules such as 200G QSFP28s and 400G CFP8s running FR8 signaling. The chip also integrates both single and multi-mode laser drivers, further reducing cost.

Semtech and Multiphy Demonstrate Single Lambda 100G Chipset for the Datacenter

Semtech and Multiphydemonstrate a single-lambda 100G solution at ECOC for DR4 modulation in a QSFP28. This included a single channel PAM-4 DSP from Multiphy, and modulator driver and TIA from Semtech.

Cignal AI Issues Industry’s First Forecast for 400G Coherent WDM Shipments

Optical Applications Report Reveals Market Share for Coherent 100G Shipments and Rapid Growth in Compact Modular equipment for Second Half of 2017

1H17 Optical Applications Report

Our 1H17 edition of the Optical Hardware Applications report has been released.

2Q17 Optical Hardware Forecast

On August 20th, Cignal AI issued full optical equipment market share analysis for 2nd quarter 2017 (2Q17). This second report extends our analysis and summarizes forecasts and outlooks for the industry through 2021.

Infinera 2Q17

Infinera released its calendar 2Q17 results on 8/3/2017, and Cignal AI’s summary and analysis follows.

2Q17 Optical Hardware Results

Cignal AI has released its 2nd quarter 2017 (2Q17) optical hardware market share analysis, which includes a summary of revenue results for the quarter.

Cignal AI Report Examines Growing Demand for Optical Equipment in China

Quarterly Optical Hardware Report Details Record Shipments of 100G Coherent Ports and North American Market Share Growth for Ciena and Cisco

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Huawei 2Q17

Huawei’s results for 2Q17 are now available; our summary and analysis includes:

Overview of Quarterly Results
100G+ Port Shipment Detail

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Nokia 2Q17

Nokia released its 2Q17 results on July 27th 2017. Cignal AI’s summary and analysis includes:
Overview of Quarterly Results
Cloud & Colo Business Update

Fujitsu 2Q17

Cignal AI summary and analysis of Fujitsu 2Q17 results includes:

Overview of Quarterly Results
Update on 1Finity Products
Open ROADM Deployment Outlook

ADVA 2Q17

ADVA released its 2Q17 results on 7/20/2017, and our summary and analysis includes:

An overview of quarterly results
Cloudconnect update
Cloud and colo customer markets spending trends
MRV merger update and observations

China ROADM Deployment Outlook

After much of the world already transitioned to all-optically switched ROADM networks, Chinese network operators are preparing to follow suit. Most networks outside of China used optical switching as early…

Infinera Delivers Industry-leading 19 Terabits of Capacity on Trans-Atlantic Route

Infinera completed a trans-Atlantic field trial with it’s new XTS-3300, slightly edging out the performance of previous announcements by Ciena and Nokia for trans-Atlantic links.

1Q17 Optical Hardware Forecast

On June 15th, Cignal AI issued full optical equipment market share analysis for 1st quarter 2017 (1Q17). This second report extends our analysis and summarizes forecasts and outlooks for the industry through 2021.

Next Gen Optical Networking 2017

Andrew Schmitt’s keynote presentation, entitled “Ways to Achieve Network Openness“, kicked off the 2017 Next Gen Optical Networking event in Nice, France on June 20th. The presentation, which highlights Cignal…

1Q17 Optical Hardware Results

Cignal AI has released its 1st quarter 2017 (1Q17) optical hardware market share analysis, which includes a summary of revenue results for the quarter.

Infinera Unveils XTM II for Cloud Scale Metro Packet-Optical Applications

Infinera announced a major upgrade to its XTM chassis (Transmode acquisition) bringing 200G and 400G uplink capabilities to existing systems already deployed in the field.

Infinera Cloud Xpress 2 Now Generally Available

Infinera announced its new CX2 is GA and deployed in cloud and colo networks, a crucial strategic follow up to its successful first-gen Cloud Xpress, which the competition has now caught up to.

NGON Discussion on Optical Disaggregation vs. Integration

A compact summary of Cignal AI’s position in the debate:

Cignal AI Sees Demand for 100G+ Coherent WDM Shifting from China to Western Markets

Half of Worldwide Metro Deployments Expected to be 200G in 2017, Fueled by Cloud/Colo Providers and Increased Interest in DCI by Incumbents

2H16 Optical Customer Markets Report

Our 2H16 edition of the Optical Customer Markets report has been released.

OFC 2017 – Compact DCI Equipment

In our final OFC 2017 report we discuss new product announcements on purpose-built datacenter hardware and components, and share our thoughts on market developments.

2H16 Optical Applications Report

Our 2H16 edition of the Optical Hardware Applications report has been released.

OFC 2017 – Open vs. Closed Optical Networks

There was a new cult this year at OFC, the ‘Cult of Open.’ It formed from rising sentiment that the lack of interoperability of vendors in optical networks is a major…

OFC 2017 – Coherent Technology

400G Coherent and Beyond
Ciena had a blockbuster announcement at OFC 2017, but there was plenty of other interesting news to feast on. Cignal AI’s key takeaways concerning coherent…

OFC 2017 – Inside the Datacenter

100G and the Road to 400G

The transition to 100G network speeds inside the data center is underway at every major hyperscale operator simultaneously, creating major industry bottlenecks. Despite QSFP28…

Investor Call – OFC 2017 Takeaways

Andrew Schmitt provided key OFC 2017 takeaways during an investor call hosted by Troy Jensen of Piper Jaffray.

Inphi Coherent TIAs Surpass 25 Billion Successful Field Hours

Inphi is the market share leader for coherent driver and receiver electronics and wanted to highlight exactly how much of their product is in the field.

Infinera Introduces Instant Network and Leads the Way to Cognitive Networking

Infinera announced a major expansion of its Instant Bandwidth feature, making those features network wide and eventually paired with software-based network control.

Ranovus Announces Worlds First 200G Direct Detect Tranceiver

Ranovus announces a new direct detect solution in CFP2 DCO format, joining InPhi in offering solutions to the DCI marketplace.

Inphi: Industry’s First 64G Quad Linear Modulator Driver

Inphi announces a companion component to its 400G TIA, and now offers electronics to interface the latest 400G+ DSPs with coherent optics

4Q16 Optical Hardware Forecast

On February 27th, Cignal AI issued full optical equipment market share analysis for 4th quarter 2016 (4Q16). This second report, issued on March 9th, extends our analysis and summarizes forecasts and outlooks for the industry through 2021.

2016 Optical Hardware Spending Growth

Metro WDM Spending Growth to Surge in 2017

Chinese spending jumped 19% in 2016 and should surprise skeptics in 2017

4Q16 Optical Hardware Results

Cignal AI has released its 4th quarter 2016 (4Q16) optical hardware market share analysis, which includes a summary of revenue results for the quarter as well as the entire calendar year 2016 (CY16).

Lightreading: Infinera, Nokia Chase ‘Anyhaul’ Dollars

Andrew Schmitt comments on Infinera’s announcement of an upgraded mobile anyhaul (front/backhaul) optical transport system.

1H16 Optical Applications Updated

Our 1H16 edition of the Optical Hardware Applications report is updated and now includes a complete PowerPoint summary.

Ciena Wavelogic Ai and 400G Roadmap

This past October, Ciena announced its new coherent DSP, dubbed Wavelogic Ai. Ciena used the announcement to convey its coherent 100G+ roadmap and support for 400G. Ciena also hinted at important changes…

3Q16 Optical Hardware Forecast

On November 16th, Cignal AI issued full optical equipment market share analysis for 3rd quarter 2016 (3Q16), to be followed by an adjunct report two weeks later. This second report, issued on November 30th, extends our analysis and summarizes forecasts and outlooks for the industry through 2020.

Metro Coherent 100G Accelerates Optical Equipment Growth in 3Q16

High capacity data center interconnect platforms and speeds beyond 100G are a major catalyst

3Q16 Optical Hardware Results

Cignal AI has released its comprehensive 3rd quarter 2016 (3Q16) optical equipment market share analysis, which provides a summary of revenue results for the quarter.

LIGHTWAVE: Inphi to buy coherent DSP developer ClariPhy for $275M

Lightwave quotes Andrew Schmitt in its article regarding the acquisition of Clariphy Communications by Inphi:

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Intel 3Q16

Intel’s financial results provide useful insight into the economic activities of the Cloud and Colo market. Effectively all of the CPUs (and now FPGAs) used in data centers come from…

Investor Call – China 2017, CFP2-ACO, Coherent DSPs

Andrew Schmitt gave an update on the optical equipment and component market during an investor call hosted by Troy Jensen of Piper Jaffray on Tuesday, October 4. Sixty-eight investors participated….

Piper Jaffray Hikes Price Targets On China Optical Boom

An Investor Business Daily article summarized a research note from Piper Jaffray. The note was issued by Troy Jensen following a call held with Andrew Schmitt and 70+ buy-side investors.

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ECOC 2016 Market Focus Interview (VIDEO)

Andrew Schmitt is interviewed after his presentation at ECOC 2016 in Dusseldorf where he presented an update on the use of 100G coherent in the data center interconnect and metro markets.

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ECOC 2016 Notes and Observations

Andrew Schmitt presented at the ECOC (European Conference for Optical Communications) in Dusseldorf, Germany during the week of Sept. 19. No time was wasted during the trip as Andrew fit…

ECOC 2016 Market Focus Presentation

Andrew Schmitt has returned from a week of meetings in Europe including three days at the European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC). He spoke to a capacity crowd at the…

Infinera Introduces Cloud Xpress 2; Extends Leadership in Data Center Interconnect

Infinera announced a follow on product to it’s groundbreaking Infinera Cloud Xpress, including the integration of it’s GEN4 PIC technology.

Inphi Announces Quad Linear Driver

Inphi bet big and bet early on linear drivers, rather than limiting drivers, for coherent applications. As a result they dominate this market. It announced a product refresh at ECOC 2016.

1H16 Optical Hardware Applications

Our 1H16 edition of the Optical Hardware Applications report has been published.

2Q16 Optical Hardware Forecast

On August 22nd, Cignal AI issued full optical equipment market share analysis for 2nd quarter 2016 (2Q16), to be followed by an adjunct report two weeks later. This second report, issued on September 9, extends our analysis and summarizes forecasts and outlooks for the industry through 2020.

Optical Equipment Spending in China Up 25% Year over Year

100G technology makes China the largest global market for optical equipment for the first time

2Q16 Optical Hardware Results

Cignal AI has released full optical equipment market share analysis from 2nd quarter 2016 (2Q16). This report summarizes optical equipment revenue results for the quarter.

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Nokia 2Q16

On August 4th, Nokia announced its quarterly results, and they included good optical results for 2Q16. While optical accounts for less than 10% of Nokia’s corporate revenue, this specific business unit is poised to benefit from the oncoming ramp up in metro coherent 200G.

Ciena 2Q16

Cignal’s Active Insight promises real-time information, and with that in mind, we are providing an update on Ciena. Ciena reported results for its April-2016 quarter on June 2nd. Corporate results were decent from an overall revenue perspective, but performance in the optical equipment area was slightly disappointing.

Acacia 2Q16 Preview

Acacia is scheduled to report earnings on August 11th, and this will be the company’s first quarterly report since completing its recent IPO. In April 2016, Cignal AI examined Acacia’s…

ADVA 2Q16

ADVA released excellent quarterly results on Thursday, July 21th and its optical business is hitting on all cylinders right now. The company expects to sustain its current revenue surge through the coming quarter as it continues to ship an impressive amount of 100G ports.

Infinera 2Q16

Infinera held it’s Q2 Earnings Call on Wednesday, July 27th, and it was surprising to say the least. The company conveyed expectations for an exceptional slowdown in demand for Q3. Cignal AI has analyzed Infinera’s 2Q16 results and we present both company comments and our own opinions on what caused this major shift in expected demand and the forces behind it.

Next Gen Optical Networking 2016

Andrew presented the keynote presentation to kick off Next Gen Optical Networking in Nice, France on June 29th. His presentation was titled “Making Technology Decisions in a Challenging Environment”, and…

2H15 Optical Hardware Applications

Our initial set of optical equipment results and forecasts for Datacenter Interconnect, Advanced Optical Switching, as well as detailed 100G+ Coherent and non-coherent port shipments have been published in Excel format.

1Q16 Optical Hardware Results

Full results and updated forecasts for 1Q 2016 have been published in Excel format. Subscribers can download the full excel file here.

Investor Call – China, CFP2-ACO, ROADMs & More

Andrew Schmitt created some excitement when he spoke about optical component and equipment market trends on a Piper Jaffray investor call on April 22. 83 investor clients were on the…

Metro DCI – What’s Next

Andrew presented “Metro DCI – What’s Next?” at the annual OSA Executive Forum before OFC 2016. His slides focused on the evolution of metro DCI and highlighted the opportunity for…

Optical Whitebox – OFC 2016

Component and equipment vendors outlined the investments they are making in anticipation of some service providers adopting open line systems or fully dis-aggregated optical systems. This is a contentious technology…

Acacia Communications – IPO Analysis

The optical networking world finally gets a close up view of Acacia’s performance as the company is filing for an IPO. The most recent S-1/A filing by Acacia includes 2015 financial details, which we review through the lenses of Cignal AI’s customer and market knowledge in order to create a fine-grained view of the company’s performance and qualitative outlook. This analysis includes a detailed projection of customer composition for 90%+ of revenue, market share within entire 100G market, and estimates of ASPs beyond what is included in public documents.

Silicon Photonics – OFC 2016

The optical component industry is changing from one in which existing InP and discrete designs are replicated in SiPho to a new approach under which the unique benefits of SiPho…

Fujitsu Announces Modular Blade Families in 1FINITY™ Platform

Fujitsu Network Communications rolled out its new 1FINITY Platform, aimed at service providers interested in dis-aggregated optical network architectures.

100G Inside the Datacenter Goes Prime Time

Andrew Schmitt wrote an article sent to all OFC 2016 attendees foreshadowing what would be the big themes for the show and what trends would follow throughout the year.

ClariPhy First 16nm Coherent Optical Networking Platform

Clariphy announced a new 16nm silicon platform designed to be the foundation for future 400G coherent DSP designs.

Ciena Announces 6500 T-Series Packet-Optical Platform

As part of it’s impending rollout of equipment in Verizon’s metro WDM network, Ciena announced a new 6500 platform for this application.

LIGHTWAVE: Component suppliers brace for ZTE export ban effects

Lightwave summarizes the news that the US Dept. of Commerce has blocked all exports to ZTE in China.

USA Stops All Exports to ZTE

The US Commerce department just dropped a bomb on ZTE, requiring all US companies to obtain an export license if they wish to do business with the company. Article updated…

OFC 2016 Preview

OFC is just a few short weeks away now, and some key themes are coming into focus for the conference. Registered users may read this article, no subscription required.Continue…

Lumentum 4Q15 Earnings Call

Lumentum is the second largest optical component supplier and like Finisar, a bellwether of demand for both telecom and datacom equipment. We look at why their ROADM business is ramping…

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Nokia Expands Mobile Fronthaul Offerings

Nokia (Alcatel-Lucent, really) announced its first integrated mobile fronthaul transport system. Happy to say it also was the first quote for Cignal AI.

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Intel 4Q15 Earnings Call

Virtually all of the CPUs used in data centers come from Intel, therefore the Data Center group sales are a useful macro barometer for the growth and outlook of data…

Adtran 4Q15 Earnings Call

Adtran has a small optical transport business, but it’s strength in access makes it a good bellwether for tier-1 spend.
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Verizon 4Q15 Earnings Call

Verizon talks mobile fronthaul and datacenter business sales.
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Ciena buys TeraXion InP Modulator Assets for $32M

Ciena applies for membership to the exclusive Indium Phosphide club.Continue Reading

Welcome

When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.Benjamin Franklin

I’ve tracked the networking market for a number of years, and I am convinced there is room…