Ciena and Lumen Technologies claim to have transmitted a 1.2 Tbps wavelength service across more than 1,800 miles.
In doing so, the two companies say the trial constitutes the world's longest 1.2 terabit non-regenerated signal.
It comes around a month after Lumen picked Ciena to support its drive to enhance connectivity for cloud and data center operators in supporting AI workloads.
Lumen said it was able to successfully transmit the 1.2 Tbps wavelength service across a 1,800-mile link of its fiber network between Denver and Dallas. The trial used Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) technology.
The company used 800G interfaces to test and qualify the services to support wavelength, Ethernet, and IP services over the 1.2 Tbps single carrier channel.
The 1.2 terabits per second "isn't just about incredible speed and long distances, it's about the value of enabling the next wave of digital transformation," said Dave Ward, Lumen's chief technology and product officer.
"Lumen is at the forefront of building a next-generation network designed to handle the explosive growth of AI and cloud workloads.
"Our investment in increased capacity, powered by Ciena's WaveLogic 6 technology, provides our hyperscale cloud partners and enterprises with the ultra-high-capacity connectivity needed to scale their AI and cloud applications. With 400G connectivity speeds today and a seamless upgrade path to 1.2 terabits, Lumen stands as the trusted network for AI."
According to Lumen, the ability to transmit 1.2 Tbps wavelength services can help “unlock next-gen AI, cloud, and data-intensive applications while improving scalability and network efficiency.”
“This industry-first trial with Lumen marks a pivotal step in our efforts to prepare networks for the AI era. Lumen's network does not stand still. Continuous investment in the latest network technology is essential for keeping up with bandwidth demands today and into the future,” added Brodie Gage, Ciena senior vice president, global products and supply chain.
Ciena previously paired with carrier Verizon to transfer 1.6Tbps of data in its live fiber network, again as a way to showcase how the carrier's fiber network can support AI and its demands.
