Infinera Introduces FlexCoherent Technology, Leveraging Its PICs, but Real-World Need Still to be Determined

Event Summary

January 17, 2011 – Infinera announced FlexCoherent technology, designed for optical transmission systems implementing coherent detection, to enable optimization of network performance across a range of applications using multiple software-programmable modulation formats on a single line card. The vendor has demonstrated the technology, supporting PM-BPSK and PM-QPSK formats with 40G and 100G transmission on subsea networks. Infinera will implement FlexCoherent technology on its coherent systems.

Quick Take

Analytical Summary

• Current Perspective: Positive on Infinera’s introduction of FlexCoherent technology, because it is designed to enable operators to derive optimal performance from the same system, using the same transponder, for multiple fiber routes with differing transmission characteristics. This flexibility can minimize the operator’s inventory investment and simplify system turn-up. The modulation flexibility also facilitates operator implementation of “gridless” wavelength spacing, a likely step necessary for optical channels with higher capacity than 100G. However, Infinera did not announce availability of the technology, nor did it specify an operator trial for it, leaving the market to doubt the readiness of the technology for deployment.

• Vendor Importance: High to Infinera because FlexCoherent technology solves multiple challenges – the need for separate high-speed modulation formats for different fiber characteristics, with a competitive advantage that it already has – the ability to tackle complex system design with large scale photonic integration. In addition, this announcement captures the attention of the market with a feature that will be implemented on the vendor’s 500G PIC. Infinera needs the market to focus on this future system rather than decide on a competitor’s 100G system in the short term.

• Market Impact: Moderate on the optical transport market segment, because even though operators will find the flexibility provided by supporting multiple modulation formats in a single DWDM system as beneficial, Infinera has not indicated when the technology will be available, and they are not yet sure when they will really need to employ multiple modulation formats, much less whether they would need to implement them on the same system.

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