Sprint enables 100G Ethernet wavelength services, sets path for 400G

August 15, 2013 | By Sean Buckley

L K Consulting is proud to be a Sprint Master Agent

Sprint (NYSE: S) continues to make progress with its own 100G optical path by completing two key trials of the technology on its wireline network.

Working with its optical systems partner Ciena (Nasdaq: CIEN), the service provider deployed a 100G circuit over a 1,304-mile span in the United States and recently completed a live 400G trial.

During its 100G circuit trial, which is now integrated into its network infrastructures and is in-service between Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas, it did not need to conduct regeneration between each point. Sprint said that being able to transmit at longer distance enables the service provider to reduce latency and increase reliability.

The service provider said that the 100G technology it has deployed will enable it to achieve speeds up to 10X faster and, later, up to 40x faster without network upgrades. Its Ethernet Wave Services can provide 100G speeds now and 400G in the future.

In its 400G trial in Silicon Valley, Sprint ran 400 Gbps channels alongside existing channels carrying live customer traffic. While it has not announced any specific date as to when it would need 400G, it said that it "foresees the opportunity to add a network equivalent of high-speed traffic lanes for customers with high-demand requirements."