Cisco (NYSE: CSCO) has confirmed its embrace of PAM4-based 100G single-lambda technology, beginning with the offer of the QSFP-100G-FR-S optical transceiver. The company touts the optical module as a replacement for four-wavelength CWDM4 devices in the same form factor.
The optical module design follows specifications created within the 100G Lambda Multisource Agreement (MSA). It therefore supports 2-km reach over duplex single-mode fiber and uses duplex LC connectors. Cisco notes that it demonstrated the device at OFC 2019.
The MSA group, of which Cisco is a member, also has developed specifications for 400 Gigabit Ethernet applications via a 4x100G format. The company notes in a blog that the single-lambda 100G approach offers an upgrade path to 400G, which would mean a future Cisco module for 400G applications wouldn’t be a surprise.
The company has a long history of offering private label transceivers optimized for use in its own platforms (see, for example, “Cisco unveils CPAK 100G silicon photonics-based optical transceiver”). However, Cisco recently announced a new business strategy in which it plans to offer technology that can be applied to a wide range of open applications (see “Cisco builds Internet for the Future approach on silicon, optics, and software”). The provision of 100G QSFP28 module based on the 100G Lambda MSA would fall squarely within this new approach.
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