Advancing Toward 800G Applications

The Rise of 800G Coherent Optical Devices

While 400G coherent pluggable optical devices drew significant industry attention in 2021, the most advanced technology currently available in commercial systems is 800G coherent optical devices powered by 7nm 90+ Gbaud digital signal processing (DSP). Unlike 400G, today’s 800G coherent solutions are embedded directly into circuit boards, with the long-term goal of achieving pluggable form factors.

By the fourth quarter of 2021, two system suppliers had already introduced commercial 800G products, and an increasing number of operators had begun deploying 800G-enabled networks. Industry surveys show that 12% of communication service providers (CSPs) had either deployed or planned to deploy 800G by the end of 2021. Looking ahead, the outlook for 800G adoption remains strong: 41% of CSPs expect deployment within the next two years, while 33% plan to adopt coherent 800G in 2024 or later. Early adoption is most notable in the United States, where nearly all operators had deployed 800G systems by 2021, positioning the region as the leading market through at least 2023.

Beyond being labeled the “headline” data rate, 800G technology offers flexible combinations of data rates, modulation formats, and transmission reaches. Each new generation of DSP delivers extended coverage across all data rates, enabling 800G coherent optical devices to serve not only metro transmission networks but also long-haul and even submarine cable applications, often operating at rates below 600G.

Historical research in optical networking indicates that when selecting vendors, performance and cost typically outweigh existing supplier relationships. However, the high complexity and development costs of coherent optical systems have driven many suppliers out of the market, leaving only a few DWDM vendors offering embedded 800G solutions. Encouragingly, the ongoing advancement of open optical networking is expected to diversify the supply base, giving CSPs more options and greater flexibility in the future.