Optical & Transport Network Optical & Transport Network

100G/400G DWDM optical transport
and data center interconnect (DCI)

High-capacity optical transport infrastructure that keeps up with explosive data traffic growth. Ciena WaveLogic technology delivers maximum capacity at minimum cost.

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WHY OPTICAL NETWORK

Why DWDM optical transport & DCI, now?

AI training and inference, cloud backup, OTT video, 5G backhaul and real-time disaster recovery are driving explosive year-over-year growth in data center interconnect (DCI) traffic. Continuously adding 10G/100G leased circuits is cost-inefficient and slow to scale. And because optical infrastructure, once installed, runs for years, designing for high capacity and efficiency with future demand in mind is critical.

Expernet's Optical & Transport Network solution delivers 100G/400G/800G DWDM optical transport based on Ciena WaveLogic technology, unlocking tens of terabits of bandwidth on the same optical cable. Wavelengths and bandwidth can be reassigned flexibly in software for high operational agility, and the Packet-Optical integrated platform handles optical transport and packet switching in a single device — reducing CapEx and OpEx at once.

As a Ciena Authorized Partner, Expernet has delivered DCI and long-haul optical transport projects for telecom carriers, public agencies and large data centers. We support the full lifecycle — optical budget calculation, wavelength design, reuse of existing fiber, disaster-recovery redundancy design and operational handover.

APPLICATION AREAS

Where optical transport is needed

Data Center Interconnect (DCI)
100G/400G dark-fiber transport between primary and DR data centers. Ultra-low-latency optical links for real-time data replication and stretched clusters.
Carrier Backbone & Core Network
Long-haul DWDM networks that carry large-scale internet traffic. WaveLogic coherent technology maximizes capacity on a single fiber.
Enterprise Campus WAN
High-capacity private optical networks over dedicated dark fiber between HQ and branches — optimized latency and cost versus cloud connectivity.
Power & Energy Infrastructure
Ultra-low-latency, high-reliability optical transport for real-time control signals between substations and power plants, supporting IEC 61850 environments.
Broadcasting & Media Transport
Real-time transport of HD/4K broadcast content — OTN-based broadcast signal delivery integrated with low-latency IP/MPLS transport.
Research & Education Networks
High-volume data transport between research institutions (genomic, weather data, etc.) — DWDM moves gigabyte-scale files in seconds.
SOLUTION

Ciena Optical Transport Solution Portfolio

WaveLogic coherent optics, the Packet-Optical integrated platform and the MCP SDN controller combine to deliver high-capacity, low-latency, automated optical transport infrastructure.

DWDM · 400G · Coherent

WaveLogic Coherent Optics

Ciena's proprietary WaveLogic ASIC-based coherent technology transmits multiple 100G–400G wavelengths on a single fiber. Channel capacity is adjusted instantly in the field via software, and reusing existing fiber minimizes installation cost.

OTN · IP/MPLS · Carrier Ethernet

Packet-Optical Integrated Platform

Unifies optical transport and packet processing on a single platform. Handling OTN, IP/MPLS and Carrier Ethernet traffic on one device cuts equipment count and OpEx — optimized for 5G fronthaul/backhaul and broadcast/media transport.

SDN · Network Automation · AI Operations

MCP — Optical Network SDN Controller

A controller that manages the entire optical transport network in software. Supports automatic recovery and rerouting on failure, and AI-based fiber-degradation prediction enables proactive maintenance. REST API enables full automation with OSS/BSS.

DCI · Disaster Recovery · Stretched Clusters

Data Center Interconnect (DCI) Optimization

400G ultra-low-latency optical links between primary and DR data centers enable Active-Active data replication and stretched VM clusters, achieving sub-1ms RTT to fully meet RPO/RTO requirements.

OSNR · Performance Monitoring

Real-Time Optical Performance Monitoring

Measures optical parameters — OSNR, Q-factor, chromatic dispersion (CD), polarization mode dispersion (PMD) — in real time and visualizes them on a dashboard. AI analysis detects fiber degradation early and alerts before failure occurs.

Ciena optical transport pipeline

1
Traffic Collection & Aggregation
DCI · backbone · 5G backhaul · broadcast · enterprise WAN
2
WaveLogic Coherent Optical Conversion
100G/400G wavelength generation · software-selected modulation
3
DWDM Multiplexing & Single-Fiber Transport
Up to 96 wavelengths × 400G = 38.4Tbps · reuses existing fiber
4
Demultiplexing & Receive Processing
Destination ROADM demux · OTN/packet de-encapsulation
5
MCP SDN Controller Operations
AI monitoring · automatic recovery · OSS/BSS integration
400G
Max capacity per wavelength
16x
Expansion without new fiber
<1ms
Ultra-low RTT between DCs
60%↓
Lower cost per wavelength
View Ciena Product Details →
USE CASES

Real-World Deployment Cases

Financial Institution

400G DCI between primary and DR data centers

Problem Problem

A legacy 10G SONET-based DR link couldn't support real-time database replication or a stretched VM cluster — RPO/RTO requirements went unmet, risking disaster-recovery certification.

Solution Solution

Deployed 400G DWDM over a 100km span on the Ciena 6500 platform, reusing existing dark fiber to cut new-build cost, with MCP providing real-time link monitoring.

Result Result

Achieved sub-1ms RTT with Active-Active real-time replication — fully meeting RPO 0-second and RTO 3-minute targets, and cutting deployment cost 40% by reusing existing fiber.

Telecom Carrier

Backbone capacity expansion using existing fiber

Problem Problem

Surging 5G traffic saturated the legacy 10G backbone. Laying new fiber would take months and cost enormously — a short-term fix was needed.

Solution Solution

Applied Ciena WaveLogic Ai coherent optics to existing G.652 fiber, configuring 400G per wavelength across 32 wavelengths (12.8Tbps total), with MCP automation minimizing operational headcount.

Result Result

Expanded transport capacity 16x with no new fiber laid, cut cost per wavelength by 60%, and shortened deployment time by 75% versus the traditional approach.

Large Data Center Operator

Multi-DC optical mesh network

Problem Problem

Three data centers were connected via leased circuits, with rapidly rising costs as traffic grew and a persistent single-path failure risk to service continuity.

Solution Solution

Built a DWDM optical mesh across the three DCs on the Ciena Packet-Optical platform, with ROADM-based automatic optical path switching and OTN protection switching recovering within 50ms.

Result Result

Cut leased-circuit cost 70% annually, fully eliminated the single point of failure via mesh redundancy, and maintained non-stop service through automatic rerouting on link failure.

IMPACT

Business Impact

The outcomes you can expect from a Ciena optical transport deployment.

400G
Capacity per wavelength
WaveLogic coherent optics push up to 400G on existing fiber.
16x
Capacity expansion
16x transport capacity gained without laying new fiber.
<1ms
Ultra-low RTT
Sub-1ms RTT over a 100km inter-DC span enables Active-Active replication.
60%↓
Lower cost per wavelength
Reusing existing fiber dramatically cuts installation and operating cost.
If dark fiber isn't available, you can use carrier-leased fiber services, or a mixed configuration — leased fiber for part of the route and coherent DWDM applied to existing lit fiber for the rest. Expernet starts by assessing your existing fiber resources.
The decision is based on current traffic and 3-5 year growth projections. 400G costs more per unit but delivers far better wavelength efficiency, making it more cost-effective long-term. For high-volume environments like DCI or carrier backbone, 400G is recommended.
The Ciena platform supports mapping legacy SONET/SDH signals into OTN for transport. A phased transition is possible, letting you keep legacy services running while gradually migrating to an OTN/Packet-Optical environment.
Expernet provides post-deployment maintenance contracts through certified Ciena engineers — hardware replacement, firmware upgrades and incident response. Because optical networks often require 24-hour incident response, we recommend an SLA-based maintenance contract.

Request an optical design consultation

From assessing your existing fiber resources to designing the optimal DWDM architecture, we support the full process.

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