ARRIS, Cisco Agree on C-Band Multi-Wavelength Interoperability

In the optical domain of the access/HFC plant, work continues to multiplex more and more wavelengths together on a single piece of glass. To that end, ARRIS and Cisco are collaborating on a wavelength management plan in the C-band (1550 nm) that will provide cable operators with a stable and robust International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-based full spectrum Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) multi-wavelength optical solution for increased capacity and expanded services. This interoperability agreement addresses multiple customer demands to ease the architectural complexities in the multi-wavelength landscape.

Mark Palazzo, vice president and GM/Cisco’s Cable Access Business Unit, said in a blog posting: "To date, operators tend to move traffic at or near the 1310 nm and 1550 nm wavelengths, to simultaneously transmit linear/broadcast as well as on-demand/narrowcast video streams on the access/HFC network. As well, a lot of operators, and the vendor community that serves them, are considering the establishment of a full-spectrum, multi-wavelength plan for optical gear. It’s because we’re at this relatively early point that it’s critical to establish a common plan – because when wavelengths collide, bad stuff can happen."

ARRIS and Cisco engineers jointly authored a technical paper entitled: “When Wavelengths Collide, Chaos Ensues: Engineering Stable and Robust Full Spectrum Multi-Wavelength HFC Networks” that they presented at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Atlanta this month.

Both companies have indicated that their respective full spectrum multi-wavelength solutions are fully productized.