PMC and Acacia Enable Mass Deployment of 100G OTN in Metro Networks

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

PMC-Sierra, Inc. (PMC®) PMCS, the semiconductor and software solutions innovator transforming networks that connect, move and store big data, and Acacia Communications, the leader in delivering intelligent subsystems for ultra-high speed fiber optic transmission, today announced successful interoperability between PMC's DIGI 120G OTN Processor and Acacia's AC100 100G Coherent module. Together, PMC and Acacia are delivering critical technology components to change the economics of 100G OTN and make it cost effective to deploy in metro networks (see image).

Big data continues to fuel traffic growth of more than 60% per year in metro networks. As a result, service providers are looking for ways to cost effectively increase optical network capacity. 100G Coherent technology allows transmission of 100Gb/s per lambda over existing fiber plant previously installed for 10G, unlocking a 10-fold increase in fiber capacity and eliminating the need for new fiber. To make 100G truly economical, networks must be architected to efficiently utilize this additional capacity. According to Infonetics, service providers are choosing OTN switching as the technology best suited to filling 100G pipes, because it enables efficient aggregation of diverse services and protocols over a single link. PMC and Acacia are ensuring that the ecosystem is ready to support this transition, with PMC's DIGI 120G enabling OTN switching and Acacia's AC100 100G Coherent module enabling 100G connectivity in networks world-wide.

“By demonstrating interoperability, PMC and Acacia are providing the ecosystem to support the transition to 100G in metro networks worldwide,” said Acacia's President and CEO Raj Shanmugaraj. “Our AC100 Coherent module reduces power, cost and size, making 100G for the first time more cost effective than 10G. With PMC's DIGI 120G also bringing down the cost of 100G OTN switching solution, and the optical performance enabled by our digital signal processing techniques, we expect to see the market for 100G OTN in the metro to grow rapidly.”

Initial implementations of 100G OTN switching were expensive, high-power multi-card solutions. PMC's DIGI 120G supports both 100G and simultaneous switching of OTN and packet clients with a single chip, enabling greater than 50% power reduction and single-card 100G OTN switching implementations. Acacia's AC100-MC is the first 100G Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) compliant 100G coherent module and is the industry's lowest-power solution.

“Our DIGI 120G allows equipment makers to deliver 100G and OTN switching in the form factor and power profile needed to enable mass deployment of 100G OTN in the metro,” said Babak Samimi, vice president of marketing and applications for PMC's Communications Business Unit. “Demonstrating interoperability with Acacia's module is an important step to show that the ecosystem is ready for the 100G transition.”

About PMC

PMC PMCS is the semiconductor and software solutions innovator transforming networks that connect, move and store big data. Building on a track record of technology leadership, the company is driving innovation across storage, optical and mobile networks. PMC's highly integrated solutions increase performance and enable next-generation services to accelerate the network transformation. For more information visit www.pmcs.com. Follow PMC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and RSS.

About Acacia Communications

Acacia Communications, Inc. provides advanced solutions to the optical transport and network infrastructure equipment market for coherent 100G, 200G, 400G and beyond transceivers. Working in close collaboration with customers and suppliers, Acacia designs, manufactures and sells leading-edge optical transponder technology that enables customers to reduce overall costs while increasing performance and reducing time to market. Acacia is headquartered in Maynard, Massachusetts, USA and has an office in Hazlet, New Jersey. For more information about Acacia, visit WWW.ACACIA-INC.COM

© Copyright PMC-Sierra, Inc. 2014. All rights reserved. PMC and PMC-SIERRA are registered trademarks of PMC-Sierra, Inc. in the United States and other countries, and PMCS is a trademark of PMC-Sierra, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. PMC is the corporate brand of PMC-Sierra, Inc.

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