Spirent OFC Showcase Highlights Latest Advances in Ethernet Validation for Next-Generation Networking

CALABASAS, CA. – March 8, 2023 – Spirent Communications plc (LSE:SPT), the leading provider of test and assurance solutions for next-generation devices and networks, will showcase it’s latest technology advances in high-speed Ethernet at the 2023 Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) in San Diego, March 7–9. Spirent (booth #5304) will display industry-first 800G and 400G test platforms designed to accelerate the development of reliable, high-performing 800G/400G systems, remove the complexity for adopting higher speeds, and enable early adopters to develop and deploy bleeding-edge 800G technologies demanded by their customers.

“Nearly every network owner and operator is building a new facility or modernizing an existing one and is looking at 400G and beyond,” said Aniket Khosla, Spirent VP of Cloud and IP Product Management. “This network evolution requires flexible, high-density test solutions to validate the next generation of routers and data center fabrics to ensure interoperability, reliability, connectivity, error rates, power, cooling and more. 

“Spirent continues to lead the industry in high-speed Ethernet validation, bringing innovative test solutions to market first, to enable the Ethernet ecosystem to fulfill next generation networking needs.”

The OFC demonstration highlights the industry’s first high-density 800G OSFP and QSFP-DD test platform dedicated to accelerating time-to-market for 800G infrastructure development and adoption, no matter the interconnect strategy. Support for both OSFP and QSFP-DD MSA allows customers the flexibility to use a test platform that is native to their actual network deployments. The solution offers the density, flexibility and performance features needed to validate the next generation of chipsets, routers, switches, and data center fabrics. Recognized by the 2023 Lightwave Innovation Reviews as being among the most innovative products impacting the optical communications community, the Spirent B2 800G Test Platform was said by Lightwave to be “One of the most complete test solutions for 800G pluggable modules. The multi-port capability combined with various rates and form factors enables full flexibility in testing pluggable modules at scale.”

Spirent’s showcase includes the award-winning Spirent A1 400G Appliance, delivering the highest port density to validate infrastructure and services dependent on high-speed Ethernet technologies, with traffic loads that emulate the real world. The appliance was recognized by Lightwave for being “Particularly impressive” for “its high density, scalability and testing range” to meet the demand for delivering high-performing, reliable, affordable, and interoperable 400G infrastructure.

Also on display will be the recently announced Spirent A2 native 400G QSFP-DD test platform. This 2U appliance is available in 8-port and 16-port variants to best fit industry testing needs, with seven speeds supported per port. It also offers a PAM4 and NRZ solution in one platform to enable transition testing from NRZ networks to PAM4-based technologies. Optimized for system and scale testing, the solution is the industry’s best value-to-performance option for high-density 400G Ethernet testing, helping network equipment manufacturers (NEMs), service providers, enterprises, chipset vendors and government validate mission-critical network infrastructure.

M1 Compact Appliance will also be shown, illustrating how its new space-saving platform with built-in flexibility make it anideal tool for the entire test lifecycle for functional, performance and benchmark testing of new networking products targeting network infrastructure, and for validating evolving SDN and NFV technologies. Alongside it will be the C2 Compact Appliance, the award-winning Layer 2-7 router, switch, and application and security test solution in a portable 2U form factor.

“As 800GbE deployments ramp, active cables are becoming increasingly popular. Systems architectures are being stressed in new ways putting more pressure on the quality of the interconnect” said Samuel Kocsis, Director of Standards and Technology at Amphenol. “For cable assembly suppliers like us, we value our relationship with partners such as Spirent to help us ensure that we are delivering reliable, high-performance solutions that validate compliance and promote interoperability to meet the needs of our customers.”

“High-capacity, cost-effective 800G module testing capabilities are critical for supporting large-scale 800G deployment” said Gerry Wong, CEO at CIG. “Spirent 800G Appliance is an indispensable tool for validating our state-of-the-art 800G solutions.”

Xin Wu, Executive Vice President at ColorChip said “We value partnering with Spirent, a leader in high-speed Ethernet test and measurement and are joining forces at OFC 2023 to showcase ColorChip’s latest generation of 800G Active Copper Cables (ACC) that enable high-performance connectivity for mega-datacenters of the future.”

“Eoptolink is pleased to partner with Spirent in pushing the boundaries of technological advancements that shape the industry” said Sean Davies, VP of US Sales at Eoptolink. “Our joint demonstration at OFC 2023 features Eoptolink 800G QDD transceivers featuring 2xFR4 and MPO16 interfaces and Spirent B2 800G Appliance, to validate optical transceiver modules and showcase solutions essential for the adoption of 800G technologies.”

David Li, CTO at Hisense Broadband said “Our partnership with Spirent helps us push the boundaries of innovation, working tirelessly on the Research and development of optical transceiver modules essential for enabling the adoption of cutting-edge 800G technologies.”

“We value our partnership with Spirent and we’re pleased that our solutions are featured in their 400G demo at OFC,” said Osa Mok, Chief Marketing Officer at InnoLight. “Spirent is uniquely positioned to help their customers manage test and validation across entire ecosystems and we look forward to continuing our collaboration on 400G and 800G.”

Scott Sommers, Director of Industry Standards for Copper Solutions at Molex said “Molex is pleased to partner with Spirent to demonstrate our leading-edge QSFP-DD technology at OFC 2023 using Spirent’s 800G Appliance. As a founding member of the QSFP-DD MSA, Molex has been on the forefront of high-speed interconnect development and design, and our collaboration with Spirent will enable the ecosystem to accelerate the deployment of QSFP-DD technology.”

Rachad Samaha, General Manager of Data Center Test Solutions at MultiLane said “We are delighted to again be working with Spirent, showcasing interoperability between our systems to demonstrate the maturity of the 800G testing ecosystem. Our active loopbacks are designed to provide a comprehensive, condensed solution to 800G host testing, with a ThundeBERT-empowered option that transforms the module into a full BERT and allows for fine-tuning of port SI settings. Our partnership is helping to resolve 800G testing challenges and accelerates time to market with smart loopback technology.”

“TE Connectivity (TE) is pleased to collaborate with Spirent on helping to enable the ecosystem for next generation data rates such as 400Gbps and 800Gbps,” said Nathan Tracy, Technologist and Manager of Industry Standards at TE Connectivity. “A proven test and measurement ecosystem with key solution providers like Spirent is critical for validating advanced connectivity solutions of tomorrow such as TE’s next generation passive and active cables”.

Spirent’s industry-leading 400G and 800G test and validation solutions will be demonstrated with the company’s technology partners at OFC booth #5304 and at the Ethernet Alliance booth #5417, while for more information, visit the Spirent high-speed Ethernet testing solutions page.