EXFO reveals unique open transceiver system for testing 400G and beyond

Published on September 26, 2018

ROME, ITALY, ECOC Exhibition 2018, September 26, 2018 — EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO, TSX: EXF), the communications industry’s test, monitoring and analytics experts, announced the expansion of its 400G ecosystem test portfolio with a new 400G test module featuring its Open Transceiver System (OTS). The OTS is an innovative modular design concept that enables compatibility between current or future high-speed transceivers and EXFO’s test platforms (lab and field). Inserts to test specific transceiver types, including those used in 400G systems (e.g., QSFP-DD, OSFP, COBO, and CFP8), eliminate the need to replace entire testing modules and can be interchanged directly in the lab, out in the field or on the production floor.

Designed for the 400G ecosystem and beyond

Data centers, carriers and network equipment manufacturers are updating installations to support fast-emerging new technologies. Their goals include upgrading core, backhaul and interconnect infrastructures to support 400G speeds and 5G services while building labs equipped to develop solutions for future ecosystems. Common to all are thousands of pluggable transceivers—components that are constantly improving to deliver faster speeds, reduced power and space savings. How do companies keep pace within such an evolving environment while ensuring technology investments are future-proof?

EXFO’s OTS delivers the capability to swap out transceiver inserts, supporting both today’s interfaces and tomorrow’s yet undetermined ones—ready now for whatever the future holds while keeping CAPEX lower than expected. It redefines flexibility and sets a new benchmark for evaluating test equipment ROI. The OTS debuts on the new FTBx-88460 Power Blazer: a complete, compact testing solution that supports all of today’s latest high-speed ecosystem technologies (400G, FlexE and OTUCn/FlexO) and transceivers on a single module.

See interoperability in action at ECOC

“We are proud of our position at the core of the 400G ecosystem—demonstrated by our participation alongside key industry partners in important interoperability events at ECOC,” said Stéphane Chabot, EXFO’s Vice President, Test and Measurement. “These activities, strategic relationships and new innovations contribute to our goal of delivering smart solutions that help our customers get the most from their testing investments while staying ahead of the 400G curve.”

• Ethernet Alliance (booth 618): See a live 400G Ethernet connection featuring the emerging QSFP-DD 400G interface supported by EXFO’s 400G test solution and innovative Open Transceiver System (OTS)
• Xilinx and EXFO (at EXFO's booth, #418): This demonstration with showcase FlexE interoperability between EXFO’s 400G testing solution and the Xilinx® UltraScale™ FPGA VCU140 design platform. Visitors will see a 400G Ethernet client signal embedded in a 4 x 100G FlexE group, a demonstration of the solution’s ability to test FlexE bonding, sub-rating and channelization.
  
  “Xilinx is pleased to partner with the EXFO team in a FlexE (Flex Ethernet) interoperability demonstration taking place during ECOC 2018. The Xilinx leadership FlexE solution combined with the EXFO test platform leadership clearly show that the FlexE and 400G ecosystem is mature and ready for production. FlexE is becoming an increasingly important component of the network evolution. Proven interoperability between Xilinx’s leading FPGA, FlexE IP and design platform and EXFO’s test and measurement products provide confidence to our customer base”, said Farhad Shafai, Vice President Communications Markets, Xilinx.

About EXFO

EXFO (NASDAQ: EXFO) (TSX: EXF) develops smarter test, monitoring and analytics solutions for fixed and mobile network operators, webscale companies and equipment manufacturers in the global communications industry. Our customers count on us to deliver superior network performance, service reliability and subscriber insights. They count on our unique blend of equipment, software and services to accelerate digital transformations related to fiber, 4G/LTE and 5G deployments. They count on our expertise with automation, real-time troubleshooting and big data analytics, which are critical to their business performance. We’ve spent over 30 years earning this trust, and today more than 2,000 EXFO employees in over 25 countries work side by side with our customers in the lab, field, data center and beyond. For more information, visit EXFO.com and follow us on the EXFO Blog.