ZTE launches industry’s first ultra-large-capacity cross-connect platform based on optical waveguide

28 September 2017, Shenzhen, China: ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, today announced the launch of the industry’s first “next-generation 256T ultra-large-capacity cross-connect platform” based on optical waveguide technology at PT Expo China 2017.

This platform, employing industry-leading optical waveguide technology, supports 256T backplane cross-connect capacity and is applicable to metro, core and backbone large-capacity service scheduling nodes. It will support cluster technology to fully meet the ultra-high load demand of optical communications for transport equipment in the 5G era.

With the rapid development of new services such as high-bandwidth private line leasing, large-scale Internet Data Centre (IDC) interconnection and 5G/AR/VR services, ultra-large-capacity cross-connect platforms with stronger packet switching function have drawn increasing attention from operators.

This ZTE next-generation 256T ultra-large-capacity cross-connect platform launched today fully meets operators’ requirements for large-capacity aggregation, flexible scheduling of large-granularity data services and equipment energy saving. This platform employs advanced multi-backplane structure and optical waveguide-based embedded printed circuit board (PCB) technology, effectively solving the expansion bottleneck of traditional PCB backplane caused by the limitation of circuit boards, cabling density and high-rate optical signal transmission loss. This platform supports smooth upgrade to 256T cross-connect capacity. The flexible single-slot design supports continuous capacity expansion of the platform. At the same time, the platform adopts optical/electrical integrated cross-connect and highly reliable system architecture to provide large-capacity optical transport network (OTN) electrical and optical cross-connect and packet switching functions on one subrack, saving space and protecting operators’ investment. Advanced technology chips, silicon and optical integration technology and all-optical cross-connect technology are used to substantially reduce overall equipment power consumption and effectively solve the air cooling problem.

As an industry-leading optical communications equipment provider, ZTE has made continuous innovations. In June 2017, ZTE launched the new metro edge E-OTN product ZXMP M721 CX66A to boost the development of 5G transportation. At the same time, ZTE launched the new stackable beyond 100G E-OTN product, ZXONE 7000, specific to datacenter interconnect (DCI), to guarantee a rapid development of the DCI.

According to GlobalData, an international renowned telecom, software and IT service consulting company, ZTE was the only provider to be rated as a “Leader” in both classes of core optical transport product and metro optical transport product. Among devices of the same kind, ZTE’s large-capacity E-OTN product has the largest cross-connect capacity and its dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) line cards have the highest level of integration.