From Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to Mixed Reality (MR) and Extended Reality (XR), 5G is continuing to power a new wave of immersive technologies. Imagine being able to place furniture and other accessories in your home via your smartphone before making a purchase at IKEA. Interested in getting an expensive, designer watch but looking to avoid buyer’s remorse? Use a similar app that allows you to see how it looks on your wrist before you spend your hard-earned money. Once, VR, the creation of immersive, simulated digital environments independent of the real world, was the pinnacle of technological advancement. Now, MR and XR are enabling digital and real objects to coexist and even interact with each other in real time. It’s creating a whole new world of opportunities for almost every type of market vertical, from medicine to retail.
It’s not just 5G making all this possible, however. We are now rapidly entering the next phase of 5G technology, 5G-Advanced, which will be a crucial step in the eventual transition to the theoretical 6G networks of the future. While 6G specifications remain under development, with the first initial deployments slated for 2030, 5G-Advanced’s innovations are creating the foundation for tomorrow. Once again, optical transceivers will be the key to unlocking the full potential of 5G-Advanced applications and preparing for the next generation of wireless networks. In this blog, we look at key innovations that can help network operators adapt their existing networks for 5G-Advanced and take the first step towards an eventual 6G future.
Evolution of Optical Technologies: From 4G to 5G-Advanced
The transition from 4G to 5G represented a significant leap in optical transport technology, shifting from 1G to 10G Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) optics. This evolution facilitated faster speeds and higher capacities, providing the improved connectivity required for 5G.
Now, 5G-Advanced networks require the adoption of 25G and 100G optics to support increasingly sophisticated, bandwidth-intensive XR, MR and other IoT applications. Compared to traditional 5G, 5G-Advanced will perform at improved levels. Telecom Review reports that 5G-Advanced is expected to offer 20% higher data rates compared to standard 5G networks. While specific peak data rates are still under development by bodies like 3GPP, 5G-Advanced’s improved performance will also enable it to support even more effective network slicing techniques and expanded Massive MIMO configurations. This will enable 5G-Advanced networks to handle a diverse range of traffic more efficiently and support a host of groundbreaking innovations beyond those that conventional 5G can effectively handle. These include real-time industrial automation, XR, autonomous vehicles and much more.
Understanding Xhaul Architecture
When it comes to data transport, 5G-Advanced increases the need for Xhaul, a converged optical and wireless network architecture that flexibly interconnects all aspects of the RAN to the core. As a 5G transport solution, xHaul incorporates the wireless and wireline technologies of fronthaul and backhaul into a common transport network. In conventional 5G networks:
- Fronthaul connects the Remote Radio Unit (RRU) to the Distributed Unit (DU).
- Midhaul links the DU to the Centralized Unit (CU).
- Backhaul carries traffic from the CU to the core network or data center.
In Xhaul, these boundaries blur, creating a flexible, integrated transport layer. This architecture is designed to handle the high demands of advanced applications, delivering the scalability, efficiency, and adaptability required for modern 5G-Advanced networks. However, this also increases the need for innovative, next-generation optical transceiver solutions that can deliver greater performance and bandwidth beyond that utilized in regular 5G networks. This is easier said than done, however, as many “off-the-shelf” optics with that greater performance and bandwidth face a significant challenge for deployment in 5G-Advanced networks: link distance limitations. Here are some options for network operators to get around this roadblock.
Addressing the Challenges of 5G-Advanced: The Role of Optical Transceivers
25G Tunable Optics
As 5G-Advanced scales, the leap from 10G to 25G optics becomes critical to its success. However, chromatic dispersion restricts traditional 25G DWDM optics’ link distances to 10-15km unless costly external specialized equipment for amplification (e.g., EDFAs) and chromatic dispersion compensation (DCM) modules are used. This is a significant obstacle to the use of 25G DWDM optics in 5G-Advanced networks when one considers the reality that 10G DWDM optics can facilitate transmission distances of up to 80km. Considering that most access network links span up to 80km, a solution had to be found. That’s where Precision OT’s Genesee™ ASIC chip comes in. Based on proprietary technology, our dispersion compensation ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) technology extends the reach of tunable 25G DWDM optics out to 40km and beyond, even up to 60km.
With this innovation, network operators can deploy cost-effective solutions that ensure seamless connectivity for bandwidth-intensive applications dependent on 5G-Advanced networks.
100G QSFP28 ZR Coherent Tunable DWDM Optics
The rise of Xhaul architectures has also driven demand for advanced 100G optics that can reach long distances. Conventional “off-the-shelf” direct detect 100G QSFP28 DWDM transceivers have a distance limitation of their own – typically of less than 1km, without any additional external amplification or DCMs installed in the network. That’s an even bigger limitation than the one mentioned for 25G in the previous section.
While coherent 100G optics using form factors such as CFP2-DCO and QSFP-DD can be used for distances exceeding 80km, their adoption essentially requires the purchase of specialized hardware as well as a need for additional space when using larger form factors like CFP2, which are not common in mobile Xhaul applications. Meanwhile the QSFP28 form factor has widely been the most deployed form factor at 100G data rates across all networks.
This is where Precision OT’s QSFP28 100ZR Coherent Tunable DWDM transceiver is a breakthrough in this space, addressing the following key limitations:
- Extended reach: Supports unamplified grey links up to 80-100km, unamplified DWDM links 30-80km (depending on MUX configuration and insertion loss) and amplified DWDM links up to 300km with extended chromatic dispersion compensation.
- Compatibility: Integrates with legacy host devices that support QSFP28 transceivers, thereby enabling 100G DWDM interfaces without costly external transport equipment, expensive new switches and routers with QSFP-DD/OSFP ports, or outdated low-density host platforms with CFP2 ports.
- High performance: Enables a shift to IPoDWDM while providing a cost-effective, exceptionally scalable solution ideal for 5G backhaul, business connections, and hub-to-hub links.
By extending the reach capabilities of 100G optics in DWDM networks to unprecedented distances for a single QSFP28 pluggable optic, this innovation provides a truly scalable, cost-effective and easily retrofittable solution for those operators with existing QSFP28 ports and devices. Given that the QSFP28 form factor is considered the most popular choice for 100G applications, having the ability to extend its reach without having to reimagine entire networks is a game-changer.
Our initial product release is a QSFP28 100ZR Coherent Tunable DWDM transceiver with a TX output power in the range of -8.5 to -4dBm, 100GbE single rate, C-temp (0 to +70C) and compatible with the SFF-8636 Management Interface. Several additional product variations are planned for release during 2025. In short, this kind of innovation will help solidify 100G DWDM optics as a cornerstone of Xhaul networks, ensuring they can support 5G-Advanced applications today while preparing today’s networks for the future, theoretical innovations that will one day inform the development of 6G standards.
Environmental and Temperature Considerations
Finally, it’s important to note that the reliability of optical transceivers depends on their ability to operate in diverse environments. That’s where the importance of temperature ratings comes in. For 25G and 100DWDM transceivers, I-temp rated optics will be crucial to ensure robust performance in outdoor and extreme conditions, which is often the case in mobile Xhaul networks.
Optics as the Catalyst for 5G-Advanced and a 6G Future
Optical transceivers are the backbone of the future. Today, they ensure that modern 5G-Advanced networks can support ground-breaking applications from VR and AR to MR and XR. Most importantly, however, they also act as a springboard for future innovations that will eventually shape the development of 6G standards.
As always, the trick in successfully transitioning to 5G-Advanced networks lies in overcoming the traditional limitations of previous generations of transceivers, especially 25G and 100G DWDM optics. Critical advancements, such as Precision OT’s Genesee ASIC and QSFP28 100ZR DWDM offering, help network operators bridge the gap between regular 5G and 5G-Advanced networks. By addressing challenges in distance, scalability, and environmental adaptability, these innovations lay the groundwork for the high-performance networks of tomorrow.
Explore more about how our innovative solutions can power your goals. Contact us today.