France Telecom-Orange and Alcatel-Lucent have deployed the world's first optical link offering a capacity of 400 Gbps per wavelength in a live network. Following a successful field trial, a 400 Gbps wavelength optical link is now operational between Paris and Lyon. This link, which was deployed within France Telecom-Orange's operational environment, represents a milestone for long-distance terrestrial network technology, the operator said. With capacity four times higher than the maximum bandwidth currently available and using 44 wavelengths, the new optical link can transmit up to 17.6 Tbps of traffic in total. The first to test the functionality of a 400 Gbps connection in a real-life situation will be RENATER, the public interest group that manages the telecommunications network for higher education and research institutions in France and is a customer of Orange Business Services. The pilot phase also aims to test the latest switching equipment supplied by major OEMs on a connection running at this capacity. The link uses Alcatel-Lucent's 400 Gbps Photonic Service Engine. An Orange spokesman told AFP that the pilot would be extended to around ten other French cities and several large European cities over the rest of the year.
