Colt, Ciena achieve terabit wavelength transmission across the Atlantic

Colt Technology Services (Colt), the digital infrastructure company, and Ciena, a global enabler in networking systems, services, and software, has announced the successful completion of the first-ever 1.2 Tb/s wavelength transmission across the Atlantic.

The groundbreaking achievement – carried out across Colt’s Grace Hopper subsea cable – was conducted using Ciena’s advanced programmable 1.6T coherent technology, WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e), with the aim of pushing transatlantic network performance to new limits while improving energy efficiency.

The trial resulted in Colt doubling wavelength capacity and reducing power consumption by 50% compared to earlier generation coherent technology, while reaching capacity of 1.2 terabits per second per wavelength, increasing spectral efficiency – the amount of information that is passed across the network – and route capacity by around 15%.

Combining Ciena’s innovative coherent optics with the power and capacity of Colt’s secure digital infrastructure explores new opportunities for businesses to meet changing bandwidth and latency requirements without negatively impacting their net zero goals.

Buddy Bayer, chief operating officer, Colt Technology Services said, “We have a long track record in testing and delivering pioneering digital infrastructure technologies and it’s incredibly exciting to extend this to our subsea capabilities with this terabit trial. Today, it’s more crucial than ever to provide technology that balances high performance with lower power consumption, enabling businesses to thrive in the digital economy while being environmentally responsible. This achievement with Ciena is a gamechanger: it’s a fantastic example of Colt joining forces to push technology boundaries that will help our customers meet their financial, operational and environmental goals.”

Jamie Jefferies, VP and General Manager, International, at Ciena, said: “The collaboration between Colt and Ciena in achieving terabit transmission across Grace Hopper has yielded unprecedented results in transatlantic network performance and energy efficiency. By doubling wavelength capacity and halving power consumption, we’ve raised the bar to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions that address evolving business needs.”

The Grace Hopper subsea cable – named after the pioneering US computer scientist and naval officer – connects the UK to the US, via a cable landing station in Bude, Cornwall, and comes ashore in New York. It is one of ten subsea systems and twelve landing stations that Colt acquired as assets following the completion of its acquisition of Lumen EMEA in November 2023.

The significant capacity per wavelength on the Colt Grace Hopper route allows customers to access bulk 400Gbe services, and it is ready for 800Gbe services with the potential for Optical On Demand in the future. The enhancements in bandwidth and spectral efficiency throughout the network have also led to lower network costs, ultimately enhancing service affordability for customers.

Ciena's WL6e is the industry's first high-bandwidth coherent transceiver using state-of-the-art 3nm silicon, capable of carrying capacity up to 1.6 terabits per second per wavelength.

Colt's terabit wavelength achievement across one of the world’s most popular subsea routes demonstrates WL6e’s market viability and emphasizes the route's bandwidth-carrying capabilities, bringing the best of Colt’s optical network capabilities to connect the European and North American markets.

Following the successful trial, Colt plans to deploy WL6e in its production network so customers can access multiple 400Gbe and future 800Gbe services to accelerate their business transformation plans.