Infonetics Research released excerpts from its 40G/100G and ROADM Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey, which details the plans of operators transitioning optical transmission and switching equipment to higher-speed 40G and 100G wavelengths.

Based on respondent ratings of various technologies for optical deployments in metro regional networks, most operators prefer the same solution they already use in the long haul in the metro, albeit with lower specs and cost, Infonetics’ survey shows. Most new technologies designed to address the metro 100G opportunity (not all in the survey are shown in the accompanying Infonetics chart) were rated highly by only a few respondents.

ABOUT INFONETICS’ 40G/100G/ROADM SURVEY:
For its 26-page 40G/100G and ROADM strategies survey, Infonetics interviewed 28 incumbent, competitive, mobile and cable operators from Europe, North America, Asia and Latin America that have an optical transport network using WDM. Together the respondents represent a significant ~40% of the world’s telecom capex and revenue. The survey answers questions such as:
.    The extent to which coherent technology is and will be deployed in existing brownfield networks versus new greenfield builds
.    The magnitude and timing of future metro and core 100G deployments
.    Preferred technologies for 100G metro and core deployments, including direct-detect 100G and Raman amplification
.    How disruptive the rollout of 100G in the metro will be for vendor market share
.    ROADM node deployment growth, as well as expected changes in the size and scale of ROADM nodes
.    Service provider perceptions of and expectations for the cost of colorless, directionless, contentionless (CDC) ROADMs
.    The rate of adoption of 100GbE clients, a key driver of metro 100G demand

ANALYST NOTE:
“The next big questions around 100G optical technology are about deployments in the metro network: When will deployments kick in, what will the volume be, which technologies will make the transition possible – advanced modulation, Raman amplification, pluggable formats, non-coherent approaches? We asked service providers around the world these questions and many more in our latest optical survey, and we learned a lot about what is about to happen in the market,” says Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst for optical at Infonetics Research.

Schmitt continues: “We now know, for example, that based on current operator thinking, 2016 will be the year that coherent 100G technology arrives in volume in metro networks. That is also when we expect cost-per-Gigabit pricing for 100G to edge out 10G in shorter reach applications. Right now what most people want is just what they have now, only cheaper,” adds Schmitt.

To buy the survey, contact Infonetics: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp

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