Fiber Optics 2022 – A year in review


02.08.23
Looking back on 2022, it is a challenge to summarize all that happened in the networking and optical world, but three key things stood out in the optical transceiver market:

Explosive growth of DWDM-based deployment in access and enterprise networks
DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) has long been a staple in the long haul, amplified optical networking world. It was only a matter of time until we would see the maturity of pluggable DWDM transceivers – tunable as well as fixed wavelength and – drive them in volume into the metro/access networks for residential and enterprise.

Cloud-based architectures for both storage and applications, two-way video and other media-rich applications have become a necessity for enterprise and residential end users. This bandwidth growth – which includes the continued evolution towards symmetric downstream and upstream data rates –have made DWDM the natural solution in fiber constrained access and enterprise networks.

MSOs are often making a transition from CWDM to DWDM, and at the same time upgrading from 1G to 10G. Where DWDM shines is anywhere there’s a need for fiber conservation and demand for multiple channels. This obviously applies to dense distribution architectures, like consolidating bandwidth for a multi-tenant facility or dropping dedicated 10G services to multiple enterprise customers. Looking forward in 2023 and beyond, 10G DWDM will be a metro/access workhorse!

Supply chain management continues to be a challenge
While in some cases, the dramatic industry-wide chip shortages we saw back in 2021 did ease up, the effects continued to be felt well through 2022. Supply chain management continued to be a very topical theme. Some manufacturers were left with a supply glut as they built out to recover from the 2021 shortages, and yet many key components (see DWDM above!) were still on allocation through the second half of 2022.

Integra Optics has the stock in hand and diversity of supply to continue to manage supply chain uncertainty in partnership with our customers.

Slower adoption of 200G/400G pluggables, but 100G QSFP28s are flying

In the transceiver space, 400G and coherent optics get all the press, and will likely continue to do so through 2023. However, the adoption of 400G pluggables is gated by the deployment of 400G capable (QSFP-DD or OSFP) ports in the switches, routers, and line cards.

Meanwhile, the 100G QSFP28 family continues to round out in 2022 with new releases like single-fiber 100G BIDI solutions and the addition of iTemp variants which will see more and more relevance as ruggedized edge routers evolve to 100G backhaul links to the core.

For this reason, Integra Optics continues to develop leading edge 400G and beyond, while continually rounding out our 10G/25G/100G portfolio with strategic options, through 2023