Viavi announces the launch of 400G Test Platform

Viavi Solutions, a provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions to communications service providers, enterprises and their ecosystems, announced the launch of ONT-600 400G– the industry’s first and most widely distributed 400G test platform.

As wireless, cable and telecommunications operators race to deliver gigabit connectivity to end users, they are accelerating deployment of high-speed optical technologies from access to the core. Viavi’s Gigabit Monitor shows the number of live gigabit deployments skyrocketing from over 350 as surveyed in June 2016 to over 570 in February 2017, covering over 167 mn people globally. This rapid pace of network roll-outs is driving the high-speed optical networking ecosystem to accelerate development of next-generation technologies from access to the core.

As validated by public interoperability demonstrations, the Viavi ONT-600 400G has relevant applications and accessories to accelerate 400G deployment – from the early stages of developing and validating CFP8 FR8/LR8 modules to fully comprehensive Ethernet performance needed for system level and service validation. The special hardware-level applications in the ONT have helped bring many vendors to OFC 2017 with functional and robust CFP8 modules that can interoperate, while the Ethernet layer applications have helped validate performance in the first field trials. At OFC, Viavi will also show the world’s first demo of FlexO technology, a core building block for future Optical Transport Network. The FlexO optical bonding enables flexible bandwidth capabilities as used in one part of FlexE as well.

Recently released applications for the ONT-600 400G platform include enhanced FEC testing, enabling validation of performance of 400G elements against IEEE P802.3 bs (draft) FEC. Also announced are new advanced error analysis applications: all types of errors including bursts, individual bit errors and slips are characterized to quickly establish the root cause.

“We are very excited by the early performance of Finisar’s 400G CFP8 LR8 and FR8 modules. Using directly modulated DFB lasers, we have a device using 50Gb/s PAM4 lanes that is fundamentally low power and cost optimized with very good BER performance,” commented Todd Swanson, EVP of Sales, Marketing and R&D at Finisar. “The Viavi ONT-600 has been instrumental in enabling us to understand the performance we can achieve and continues to help us optimize our design.”

“We knew that Oclaro’s proprietary laser and receiver designs were key technologies for the first deployment of 400G pluggable optics. However, to accelerate the development and validation of our CFP8 design, we needed a system like the Viavi ONT-600 400G and its latest features like advanced error analysis to address the challenges of FEC and PAM-4 testing,” said Yves LeMaitre, President, Optical Connectivity Business at Oclaro.

‘We are delighted to work with the trailblazers at 400G to build a healthy and vibrant ecosystem that will help us deploy and scale 400G from the lab to the field,” said Dr. Paul Brooks, Lab & Production Business Unit, Viavi. “The unique applications in our ONT have yet again proven key to getting technology to market on time and fully interoperable.”