CommScope’s OM4 fiber enables 100 Gigabit Ethernet to reach 340 meters in world’s first public demo

LONDON, UK: CommScope, Inc., a global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks, has exceeded industry standards by successfully enabling a 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) data transmission over off-the-shelf 340-meter multi-mode fiber optic cabling with 7 MPO connections. The demonstration took place at Cisco Live! in London using SYSTIMAX LazrSPEED multi-mode fiber cabling, in collaboration with Ixia and Reflex Photonics Inc.

The 100 GE standard was ratified in June 2010 by the IEEE 802.3ba committee for transmissions up to 150 meters of OM4 fiber cable. CommScope’s 340-meter link proves that the range could be effectively doubled through the combined use of high-performance connectivity solutions and advanced optoelectronics. This demonstration was also the first to take place publicly, rather than in closed-door laboratory environments.

“Achieving an error-free transmission over a 340-meter link with 7 MPO connections in current data center environments is a great accomplishment,” said George Brooks, vice president of the Data Center Business Unit at CommScope. “We have always engineered our solutions to exceed industry standards, but this demonstration proves the value high-performance cabling infrastructure can bring. With enterprises becoming ever more dependent on high-speed and reliable access for virtualization and cloud services, customers can look to CommScope’s OM4 solutions to provide the operating margin needed to push the reach of 100 GE beyond the limits of the standard.”

Dave Schneider, senior manager of Market Development at Ixia, added: “Ixia’s K2 100 Gigabit Ethernet test interfaces were used to validate 100 GE operation over CommScope’s OM4 fiber cabling. Standard bit error rate (BERT) tests validated error-free operation. This real-world demonstration further validates our opinion that 100 GE technology is ready for deployment in the data centre.”

“Reflex 100G CFP fiber optic transceivers and CommScope OM4 fiber cable connectivity form the physical layer of 100 Gb/s Ethernet,” said Robert Coenen, vice president, Sales and Marketing at Reflex Photonics. “The success of this demonstration really shows that the physical network infrastructure of higher speed Ethernet is ready, and the 100GE ecosystem can be built on top of it. It’s fantastic to be working on the cutting-edge, opening up new possibilities in the data centre.”

CommScope offers a complete portfolio of network infrastructure solutions that enable enterprise customers, regardless of size, industry or IT budget, to take advantage of business and technology opportunities.

CommScope’s SYSTIMAX and Uniprise brands offer voice, data, video and converged connectivity solutions that support mission-critical, high-bandwidth and emerging applications to those that demand unrelenting reliability and quality for everyday needs. CommScope’s Wired for Wireless solution provides new buildings and campuses with the wireless infrastructure necessary to eliminate weak or blocked signal areas from the outset and prepare them for better wireless coverage.