Corvis unveils high-capacity optical system

Corvis yesterday introduced its high-capacity CorWave LR, a DWDM transmission system that gives carriers the ability to deliver as much as 3.2 terabits per second over an 800 kilometer (about 500 miles) range without expensive electrical regeneration.

Touted as the highest-capacity solution in the industry, the CorWave LR is expected to be ideal for carrying high volumes of traffic between large metropolitan areas, according to the company. At 800 kilometers, the solution can transport as many as 320 OC-192 (10 Gb/s) wavelengths. If a carrier chooses to extend the range to 2000 kilometers, CorWave LR can deliver 160 OC-192 wavelengths.

“It’s industry-leading, in terms of capacity reported, to date,” said Phillippe Becker, vice president of product management for Corvis, during an interview at the Optical Fiber Conference in Anaheim, Calif. Qwest Communications will be the first customer to utilize the CorWave LR.

The CorWave LR combines the benefits of Raman amplication and soliton transmission technology, which is a special waveform that is capable of traversing very long distances. This is the first product resulting from Corvis’s July 2000 acquisition of France-based Algety Telecom, which provided the soliton transmission expertise.

In addition, the CorWave LR utilizes both C-band and L-band spectrum to realize its high-capacity capabilities.

“By providing 1.6 terabits in the C-band alone, with an additional 1.6 terabits in the L-band, Corvis’ CorWave LR has two to four times the capacity of any optical transport product in the market today,” said Chris Nicholl, vice president of Current Analysis, in a statement.

The CorWave LR will be commercially available in the second half of 2001.