To meet the challenges associated with escalating data rates and the ongoing need for higher bandwidth in the data centre, CommScope has introduced SYSTIMAX cabling and connectivity products based on its LazrSPEED 550 WideBand multimode fibre (WBMMF).
CommScope demonstrated the capabilities of the new fibre alongside Finisar’s new short-wavelength division multiplexing (SWDM) transceivers at OFC 2015. The emerging WBMMF standard enables up to four times more bandwidth at longer distances than standard multimode fibre.
LazrSPEED 550 WideBand multimode fibre is now available as part of CommScope’s InstaPATCH 360 pre-terminated fibre infrastructure portfolio, and comes in a range of products including trunk cables, modules, array cords, fan-outs and duplex patch cords.
“We have been working very hard at finding new and better ways to help our customers meet their current and future bandwidth needs,” said Kevin St. Cyr, senior vice president of Enterprise Solutions, CommScope. “The LazrSPEED WideBand multimode fibre provides the ability to support significantly more throughput at longer distances than conventional multimode fibre while maintaining support for all legacy multimode applications. This will help customers save money by supporting high data rates over fewer fibres while opening the door to practical multimode terabit applications, thus extending the life of their data centre infrastructure.”
Multimode fibre continues to provide the most cost-effective and lowest power platform for high bandwidth optical connectivity in the data centre. With the addition of the LazrSPEED 550 WBMMF, the platform has been extended to support higher speeds with fewer fibres at greater distances. WBMMF expands the currently specified operating wavelength spectrum from a single wavelength at 850nm to a range from 850nm through 950nm. This range enhances the capability of short wave division multiplexing (SWDM) technology to
Combining LazrSPEED 550 WBMMF with SWDM transceivers permits 40G and 100G transmission over a single pair of fibres using four different wavelengths, reducing the fibre count by a factor of four and enabling single-pair 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet and single-pair 128G Fibre Channel.