• First-of-its-kind environmentally hardened, modular platform delivers up to 400 Gbps per wavelength and supports industry’s smallest form factor multi-degree CDC Flex-Grid ROADM at the optical edge

DALLAS, Texas, USA, October 6, 2022 – DZS (NASDAQ: DZSI), a global leader in access and optical edge infrastructure and cloud edge software solutions, today announced the introduction of its DZS Saber-4400 compact, modular, coherent optical metro and edge transport platform architected for convenient, cost-effective delivery of fiber-based services at speeds of up to 400 Gigabits per second (Gbps) per wavelength and multi-degree CDC Flex ROADM functionality. Each 1 Rack Unit (RU) DZS Saber-4400 shelf features 4 hot-swappable modules for extensive flexibility and expandability and delivers an industry-first portfolio of environmentally hardened Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) modular transponder and muxponder solutions capable of operating between -40°C to +65°C while delivering 100 Gbps+ circuits up to 120 kilometers (km) without amplification.

Scalable to 1.6 Terabits per second (Tbps) transponder capacity per shelf and supporting a stackable virtual chassis configuration with a single management interface, the DZS Saber-4400 is ready to address the unique challenges of today’s optical edge. The new requirements for optical edge deployments, include meeting growing transport requirements of multi-gigabit fiber broadband service deployments and providing upgraded connectivity for 5G cell towers, while accommodating multiple wholesale and vertical enterprise customers. By introducing what DZS believes to be the first coherent optical edge transport platform optimized for deployment in non-climate-controlled environments, Palmetto Engineering & Consulting, a leading telecom engineering consultancy, estimates that service providers can realize savings ranging from approximately $20,000 to nearly $200,000 per site when compared with competitive solutions, avoiding costs that range from heat exchanger upgrade or air conditioning installation to the construction of entire new pads, shelters, buildings and sites.

The introduction of the industry’s newest compact and flexible metro and edge optical transport platform could not come at a better time for service providers. Governments globally have set aside more than $120 billion aimed at closing the digital divide, with the U.S. federal government alone recently approving more than $77 billion in funding. Transport solutions like the DZS Saber-4400 are both eligible and ideally suited for these programs, including the $1 billion Middle Mile Grant (MMG) program just applied for by hundreds of U.S. operators. The DZS Saber-4400 conforms with “Buy America” requirements outlined in the MMG and other U.S. stimulus programs, and can accommodate the unique power and manufacturing requirements of most major global markets.

“Accelerating trends like the: MMG program; proliferation of 5G mobile xHaul; increased transition to XGS–PON for rural broadband deployments; and push for business service scalability and agility are all driving demand for bandwidth at a new location in the network – the optical edge,” said Miguel Alonso, Chief Product Officer, DZS. “The optical edge, located close to the subscriber in remote and environmentally challenging network locations, has never been required to transport hundreds of gigabits of bandwidth – until now. The environmentally hardened DZS Saber-4400 platform was purpose-built to address the requirements of the optical edge, leveraging coherent optics in an entirely new way and redefining the economics of optical metro and edge transport. By enabling service providers to leverage coherent optics in a hardened platform and bring very high bandwidth, long reach circuits right to the extreme edge of the optical network, DZS is providing a solution to service providers that will allow them to quickly and cost-effectively meet new demands while being positioned to adapt and scale for the future.”

The DZS Saber-4400 platform supports a range of modules that can each scale up to 400 Gbps per wavelength and beyond. The use of coherent optics in transponders allows distances of up to 120 km to be achieved without amplification, while the addition of amplifier modules can more than double this reach, with mid-span amplification reaching even farther. The DZS Saber-4400 platform module options range from commercial and industrial temperature coherent muxponder/transponders to expandable multi-degree CDC Flex-Grid ROADMs, flexible optical cross-connects, add/drop modules, Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs), Raman amplifiers, path protection modules as well as support for future Layer 2/Layer 3 switching and routing modules, giving service providers unprecedented flexibility and power to quickly respond to changing bandwidth demands at the optical edge.

“We were amazed at the capabilities of the DZS Saber-4400 platform and immediately recognized that our service provider clients who are deploying XGS-PON or looking to address the backhaul needs from their 5G cell sites would benefit greatly from cost-effectively bringing the bandwidth and reach of coherent optics into their networks,” said Chris Roland, CEO, Palmetto Engineering. “The DZS Saber-4400 platform is not only uniquely scalable, but is also compact, modular and environmentally hardened, meaning that this 1RU, 11-inch-deep platform can easily fit in existing cabinets whether or not they are temperature controlled. We estimate that this alone could save service providers anywhere from approximately $20,000 required for heat exchanger additions to an existing cabinet, to nearly $200,000 when laying a new pad and building a new hut or cabinet house, which is normally required to support upgraded transport. The hardening, compactness, modularity and scalability of the DZS Saber-4400 is a game-changer.”

For service providers that need to streamline their end-to-end network performance, initiate multi-service, multi-haul transport upgrades, deliver remote connectivity to data centers or business services or deploy fiber-deep architectures, the DZS Saber-4400 platform is ideal for cost-effectively transforming optical network infrastructure to meet hyper-speed edge traffic demands and deliver an emerging class of differentiated network services to consumers and businesses.

Saber-4400 Key Differentiators:

• Cost-effective: Compact, open modular form factor allows Saber solutions to be cost-effectively deployed in existing cabinets, reducing the cost to address rising transport requirements at locations such as cell towers or remote fiber communities, enabling significant savings
• Power Efficient and Climate Hardened: An environmentally hardened platform leveraging coherent optics that can operate between -40 °C to +65 °C, eliminating the need for heat exchangers and air conditioning upgrades in existing cabinets or including these elements in new cabinets
• High bandwidth, Long Reach: Ability to transport multiple 100G-400G+ coherent circuits to a distance of up to 120 km in a compact form factor enabling scale and ease of deployment for remote 5G or 10 gigabit services
• Ideal Solution for Middle Mile Grant Recipients: The DZS Saber-4400 meets “Buy America” requirements, making it ideally suited for many U.S. government funding programs designed to close the digital divide
• Full CDC-Flex Grid ROADM Capabilities to the Edge: Significantly expands the typical range of deployment for ROADMs, establishing a new strategic capability at the network edge
• Combining to Deliver a New Level of Capacity: When deploying the Saber-4400 with the recently introduced DZS M4000 high-performance edge aggregation and mobile transport system and extensive portfolio of Velocity Optical Line Terminals (OLTs), service providers can now deliver a new level of multi-gigabit throughput, low-latency, and symmetric capacity for optical access and edge networks

Mr. Alonso added, “We have been at the forefront of helping our customers in Korea and Japan lead the world in the deployment of 10 Gig+ Passive Optical Network (PON) and 5G services at scale for many years. This extensive experience allowed us to recognize early-on how the dramatic changes in both capacity and remote deployment requirements would intersect with our expertise in deploying climate resilient solutions at the optical edge. Our work in leveraging coherent optics at industrial temperatures and in a compact and modular manner is a breakthrough for the industry and its deployment economics, and we are thrilled to bring this groundbreaking solution to our customers and prospects at such a critical time for enhancing network capacity.”