Huawei Unveils Ultra-High-Capacity 40T WDM Prototype

Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, launched a 40T Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) prototype at the OFC/NFOEC 2013 event in Anaheim, Calif. The prototype supports simultaneous 2Tbit/s transmission of 20 C-band optical channels, providing an industry-leading capacity of up to 40 Tbit/s per fiber. Now, up to 10 million subscribers can enjoy high-definition Video on Demand (VoD) services simultaneously.

Huawei’s prototype is built on three innovations in the field of high-speed transmission. The combined use of Electrical Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (eOFDM) and frequency-domain Hybrid Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) technologies substantially improve spectrum efficiency to 10 bit/s/Hz. The combined use of Flex-Optical Digital Signal Processing (Flex ODSP) and Hybrid Soft-/Hard-Decision Multi-level Coding (HMLC) technologies extend the transmission distance to beyond 1,000 km over common single-mode fiber and Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs). Furthermore, software-implemented transceiver technology allows optical modulation formats such as Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (QPSK), 16QAM, 32QAM, and 64QAM to be adjusted or combined, achieving a configurable transmission rate and distance for each service. As a result, dynamic service needs in varied scenarios can be easily met.

In 2012, Huawei completed a 2T WDM field trial with Vodafone, achieving up to 3,325 km transmission for 2 Tbit/s signals. The 40T WDM prototype is another major breakthrough in high-speed transmission proving current commercial optical networks will be ready for the upcoming flood of digital traffic.

Huawei is dedicated to customer-centric innovation and delivering industry-leading transport network solutions, helping operators build future-ready optical networks.