INTEROPERABILITY
WORKING TOGETHER
Interoperability is recognised to be the linchpin to open networking, but this can only be achieved via industry collaboration
KEELY PORTWAY O
ptical transport networks continue to evolve to address growing dynamic and diverse cloud-based service
demands. Network agility and responsiveness are critical. To this end, operators are adopting openness to fuel innovation and enable automation across network and service operations. Open networking helps enable more
cost-effective and efficient use of resources. It leverages automation to create network value by enhancing service offerings and accelerating service activation resulting in increased ROI and customer satisfaction. Te Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) has
been working for more than 20 years to help accelerate progressive transformation in optical networking as an industry forum that drives the electrical, optical and control interoperability that enables a more efficient and reliable network. According to Dave Brown, director of
communications at OIF, interoperability is the linchpin to open networking. ‘Open networks rely on multi-vendor interoperability across the physical data plane and up and down the management plane and application layers,’ he said. ‘Te interoperability needs and challenges are broad and deep.’ Fuelled by member contributions, OIF
identifies industry needs and gaps, develops Implementation Agreements (IAs), and performs interop tests and demonstrations. Tis operating model has produced more than 80 IAs that have been ‘specified’ and widely adopted. OIF IAs to date cover a broad range including coherent optical specs such as the 100G DWDM framework, IC-TROSA transmiter/receivers, and CFP2 coherent modules, the FlexE protocol, SERDES and CEI electrical interfaces, tunable lasers, and transport SDN control. OIF’s DNA and
footprint are found in nearly every transport network component interface. Looking back at this past year, Brown
explained: ‘In 2021, OIF built on this by evolving critical optical, electrical, protocol, management, and network control IAs and adopting new projects related to packaging and management.’
Optical As adoption of OIF’s 400ZR IA for coherent pluggable solutions took off in 2021, Brown revealed that the new 800G Coherent project is well under way. ‘Te goal of this new project, spurred by member webscale and cloud companies, is to define interoperable 800G coherent line specifications for campus and DCI applications,’ he said. ‘Te resulting IA will define single-lambda 800G coherent line interfaces for two applications; 1) amplified, single span, DWDM links up to 80-120km;
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Fibre Yearbook 2022
Shutterstock / Andrey Pavlov
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