Distance + Capacity = Cisco Sets Global Spectral Efficiency Record

Ask any network operator what keeps them up at night, and the ability to transport massive amounts of data is sure to come up in the conversation. Additionally, they’ll tell you that their data might require low latency, that it might be transactional, and that it definitely has to be encrypted. But in general, as data and bandwidth increase, a strategy on how to optimize that data is of utmost importance. Take the conversation to ultra-long-haul and subsea network operators, and the solution to the challenge becomes even more complex with distance, capacity and, most importantly, spectral efficiency, being a large part of the equation.

Cisco has had multiple deployments this calendar year that demonstrate the multi-haul capability of the Cisco NCS 1004, which provides fine and granular control to maximize for both capacity and distance. Previously, we announced Superloop production deployment of over 9000km on the INDIGO cable. Last week, we announced a global first – live production traffic connecting terrestrial networks via a subsea link over 9000km, with Australia’s Academic and Research Network (AARNet). In the news release, we shared the details of the interconnection of a national terrestrial network with an international subsea link over a vast distance – from Sydney to Singapore.

What’s really unique about the Cisco NCS 1004 is its ability to adjust the baud rate and modulation with software to get the best performance – achieving maximum data throughput, thus leaving no gaps in the spectrum. Cisco was able to help AARNet move from field trial to full deployment in under three months – a record time from trial to production traffic deployment.

The subsea market is booming, and Cisco continues to be a leading optical transport vendor driving this evolution. In addition to our deployment with AARNet, we also just announced our successful trial on the MAREA cable. In this trial, we demonstrated 26.4Tbps over 6,600 kms of subsea cable, from Virginia Beach in the U.S. to Bilbao, Spain. This 26.4Tbps performance surpasses all other deployments to date on the MAREA cable. Additionally, we successfully tested in full loopback mode, showing that 18.5Tbps could be deployed for double the distance, with plenty of system margin.

The NCS 1004 is leading the industry in spectral efficiency by closing the bridge between reach and capacity. Learn more about the Cisco NCS 1004.