The 100G Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) will account for almost 40% of all metro wavelength deployments and 75% of the core network in 2017, according to Infonetics' latest research report - 100G+ and ROADM Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey.
The report which details the plans of operators transitioning optical transmission and switching equipment to higher-speed 100G+ wavelengths, also hiighlighted that operators have reasonable expectations for pricing for coherent metro-regional and access applications versus the core. In the meantime, data center interconnect is predicted to be the top choice among operators for the 100G+ application for the next 12 months, while pluggable CFP and CFP2 technology can expect more traction this year.
"The big battleground for vendors of 100G-and-beyond coherent equipment and components has shifted to the metro as winners for long reach core applications have been decided. There are two very distinct markets for coherent technology. One market is deploying long haul coherent today and will transition to metro in the coming years. But there is another, separate customer type that is already fully committed to deploying coherent technology in the metro today. These two markets have major implications for the supply chain regarding product specialization and the relative lack of interest in flex coherent technology by some customers."
- Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst for carrier transport networking at Infonetics Research
