Verizon Hits Milestone with Successful 400G Technology Trial

Telecommunications giant Verizon announced the completion of a successful field trial delivering live 400 Gbps Ethernet traffic on a single wavelength between MPLS Core routers over its Packet-Optical network. This trial proved the interoperability of equipment from two different suppliers and the capability to quadruple the typical capacity carried on a wavelength.

This field trial marks an important step toward advancing 400 Gbps transmission and router technology – vital to the continued growth of services and applications such as video streaming, virtual reality and cloud computing.

This trial, held in December 2017 using the Verizon network in the Dallas area, validates the viability of carrying 400 Gbps traffic. This test traffic was transmitted between two Juniper Networks PTX 5000 routers across the Ciena 6500 Packet-Optical Platform, both used in Verizon’s production network.  This 400 Gbps interworking connection is compliant with IEEE Standard 802.3bs-2017, which was ratified in December 2017.

“We’re delivering more content and capacity than ever from our network and we’re gearing up to do more,” said Lee Hicks, vice president, Network Planning for Verizon. “The appetite from consumers and businesses alike continues to grow. This 400G trial demonstrates our relentless focus on building networks people want and need. We’re building the future now.”