Testing

Viavi positions 800G Flex XPM test module for communications, cloud, hyperscale SPs

June 3, 2021

What is billed as the industry’s first fully integrated test product for pluggable 800G transceivers based on 100G electrical lane speed will be showcased at this month's OFC 2021 virtual event.

Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAV) on May 17 announced the expansion of the Viavi ONT solution portfolio with the introduction of the company's 800G FLEX XPM module, billed as the industry’s first fully integrated test product for pluggable 800G transceivers that utilize 100G electrical lane speed, with integrated test applications.

“Working with the major equipment manufacturers and service providers around the globe, we’ve seen clearly that 800G is moving faster toward implementation than it was a year ago,” observes Tom Fawcett, Vice President and General Manager, Lab & Production Business Unit, Viavi. “Viavi’s leadership in optical network test ensures that these customers can rely on our solution for the critical validation of conformance, performance and interoperability, helping them with speed to market.”

As reckoned by Viavi:

800G represents the current peak of practical optical networking speeds, and as network traffic continues to surge, it is fast becoming part of operators’ upgrade plans.

The pandemic has forced a global reordering of network traffic patterns, complexity and scale. Enterprises are accelerating technology modernization plans, and service providers are upgrading their networks and data centers with higher transport speeds, cloud-native architectures, and machine learning.

In preparation, industry groups are issuing 800G specifications, 800G-ready silicon is emerging, and the optical networking ecosystem is readying 800G class modules.

The 800G FLEX XPM Module provides a wide range of critical test and measurement capabilities that manufacturers need to design and validate 800G optical modules based on 100G electrical signaling. The module has been designed for IC development and validation test, 800G transponder testing and vendor selection, system verification test, and manufacturing test.

Key features include: support for 2x400GE, 8x100GE, 4x200GE and 1x800G unframed; dynamic skew; forward error correction (FEC) validation; and automation integration with the Viavi ONT family.

Viavi will be exhibiting the ONT XPM module, among other products, at the OFC 2021 virtual conference and exhibition from June 7-11, 2021. During the online event, Dr. Paul Brooks, Director, Lab & Production Strategy, Viavi, will be presenting on “Getting Ready for Mainstream 400G ZR” on Friday, June 11.