NEC To Release TIP-compliant Fully Disaggregated 400G Transponder Solution In 2022

NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) announced today that it has joined the Telecom Infra Project's (TIP) Phoenix initiative. Phoenix is managed by TIP's Open Optical and Packet Transport (OOPT) Project Group and seeks to develop a 400G transponder for open and disaggregated high-capacity DWDM networks.

NEC will take the role of a system integrator within the OOPT Project Group and the Phoenix initiative to realize a fully disaggregated architecture(1).

Optical transmission systems are used in backhauls that connect telecommunications carriers' base stations with core communication networks. By separating hardware and software in optical transmission systems, it is possible to combine a wide variety of hardware and open source software depending on the application, enabling carriers to achieve flexible and optimal transmission systems according to operating conditions.

NEC has been actively promoting the Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) field, and by participating in this project, it will also promote openness in the optical transmission area and contribute to the acceleration of innovation in this area.

While open optical transmission enables flexible system configuration at an optimal cost, it also needs contributions from system integrators with experience in realizing highly reliable networks. This is because open optical transmission requires guaranteed functionality and performance in multi-vendor environments, and advanced operation.

Through its participation in this initiative, NEC will make efforts to open optical transmission by leveraging both its experience in supporting commercial Open RAN with eco-system partners and in provision of carrier-grade optical transport networks.

"Today's network operators need improved speed and agility to provide better connectivity for communities worldwide," said David Hutton, TIP's Chief Engineer. "NEC participating in TIP's OOPT Project Group is welcome support for critical interoperability to prove that Phoenix use cases can be achieved with open disaggregated optical network architectures. We are excited to see NEC products compliant with TIP's Phoenix requirements as well as their capabilities as a system integrator."

Atsuo Kawamura, Executive VP, Network Service Business Unit, NEC, said, "I believe NEC can provide flexible and optimal solutions that support the delivery of a variety of services provided by operators. Through the development of optical transmission systems that conform to open interfaces, we will keep working to enhance and expand optical networks worldwide."

NEC will release its TIP-compliant 400G transponder solution to the market globally along with NEC's ecosystem partners in 2022.

Solution Features

1. Fully disaggregated solution that can combine various components of hardware and software
It gives users a choice of the various components offered to the market, frees them from vendor lock-in, and enables them to deliver the best solution in all aspects of cost, quality and delivery for various network requirements.

2. Create a sustainable multi-vendor environment
In order to solve the complexity of the combination of components from various vendors, NEC provides options such as integration services that verify quality and performance, and maintenance services for open source software for users to operate their network in a multi-vendor environment.

(1) A wide variety of hardware and open source software are combined according to the application to realize a flexible and optimal transmission system according to the operating conditions.

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