Active Insight

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

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…

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…