Apollo programmable and open optical networks satisfy the economy’s insatiable appetite for bandwidth while providing network operators with future-proof solutions tailored to their individual business needs.
Built around flexibility and choice, Apollo provides both high-performance links to 1.2T, filling up fiber channels to their theoretical limits, as well as 400G ZR+ power-cost optimized links for pay-as-you-grow networks. An erector set of SDN-controlled ROADM and OTN switching modules provide unlimited configurations to route links and the services they carry dynamically from the access to the core. Above all Apollo is easy to deploy and to manage, and open control interfaces enable Apollo to participate in disaggregated, multivendor environments.
Optimized transport Future proof Programmable Open
based on performance or smooth capacity growth for automation for multivendor power-cost deployments
2 Apollo Family
Family and Capabilities Overview
The Apollo family of OTN/DWDM transport and OTN switching platforms work together seamlessly to provide tailored and future-proof optical networks, from the access to core, covering all network topologies.
9600 Series 9900 Series
Low power flexible OTN/DWDM transport Scalable OTN switching
• Common cards • Maximum wavelength fill
• Telco and data center • Universal packet/OTN fabric
Data center Data center
OPT9624 9504D 9603 9608 9608D 9624 9901X 9904X 9914 9932 Size 1RU 2RU 5RU 5RU 15RU Size 1RU 5RU 22RU Full rack Line Capacity 1.6T 2.4T 6.4T 6.4T 19.2T Switching 400G 2.8T 5.6T 16T Scaled for Scaled for Photonics CDC-F ROADMs, Fixed and dynamic amplifiers Capacity 14T 32T
Capabilities 9600 OTN/DWDM Transport 9900 OTN Switching
Multiservice client transport 1/10/25/40/100GbE, FC 1-32, TDM, 1/10/40/100GbE, FC 1-16, TDM, OTN, OTN, 10/100GbE L2 10/100GbE L2
Power-cost optimized line 100/200/300/400G ZR+ 100/200/300/400G ZR+
interfacesinterfaces
High performance line interfaces Dual 100G-600G (single channel 1.2T);
1.2Tʎ in Q4’22
L1 optical encryption Service selectable Wavelength level
ROADMs and Open Optical Line 20+ degree CDC-F; Alien wavelengths; 4-degree Systems Shared spectrum
OTN Switching 10G ADM Scalable 400G to 16T
GMPLS control plane WSON wavelength restoration ASON service restoration
Disaggregated open control OpenConfig, OpenROADM OpenROADM
Access to core, covering all network topologies
3 Apollo Family
Power-Cost or Performance Optimized 400G+ Transport
Optical networks are moving to transmission lanes operating at speeds of 400G and higher to transport predominant 100GbE and growing 400GbE client traffic. Apollo offers two types of 400G+ transport to provide a best fit for any application.
Apollo power-cost optimized transport delivers strong performance suitable for the majority of metro and regional networking applications. Apollo’s solution is first to market using cost-efficient and open 400G ZR+ technology designed for multi-hop ROADM networks. A unique card design incorporates an internal switch that uses two pluggables in either independent or combined wavelength modes, providing exceptional advantages.
In independent mode, it targets metro applications. Here it delivers two 400G lanes in two 400G wavelengths, at the same cost but for twice the distance of competitors’ 800G wavelengths also supporting two lanes. Moreover, it permits network operators to add one pluggable or 400G lane at a time, enabling “pay as you grow” networks.
In combined mode, it targets long haul applications. Here it combines two 200G wavelengths to deliver a single 400 lane, which can transmit about 20% further than the competitors’ 400G wavelength, also at the same cost.
Apollo performance optimized transport provides software controllable “knobs” that tune the baud rate, modulation scheme, and flexible grid channel width, to optimize the line rate for any distance and fiber condition, including for brownfield fixed grid networks. It is ideal for applications like high density metro transport among data centers where it provides up to 1.2T lanes, or long haul transport, where there is a need to squeeze every bit of capacity from a channel. Transmission occurs right at the edge of the nonlinear Shannon Limit, so that no channel capacity is wasted.
Multi-knob programmability optimizes transmission for channel rates from 100G to 1.2T
4 Apollo Family
Multiservice Encryptable L1 Transport and Integrated L2 Services
Besides solutions for predominant 100GbE and growing 400GbE client traffic, Apollo also transports a wide variety of other clients for Enter- prise and low speed aggregation applications, including 1GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, Fibre Channel up to FC32, OTN, SDH/SONET, and various video interfaces. To protect against information interception by fiber tapping, Apollo provides the highest level of AES-256 layer 1 optical encryp- tion without adding any latency to connections. Entire channels are encryptable or individual services selectively. Enterprise customers can exercise encryption key management (EKM) directly. As a future proof capability, Apollo supports both conventional and post quantum cryptography (PQC) key exchange algorithms.
To accommodate popular data services without having to add special-
ized equipment, Apollo also integrates L2 statistical multiplexing and packet switching alongside L1 transport. This includes MEF Carrier Ethernet 2.0 E-Line and E-Lan services.
Open Optical Line System
Apollo’s optical line system (OLS), combines ROADMs (reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers) with amplifiers, to route wavelengths across a DWDM network under software control. Apollo’s OLS speeds up service provisioning, reduces costs by eliminating unneeded optical-electronic-optical conversions, and maintains availability by rerouting wavelengths dynamically when failures occur. Moreover, it is a superlative “open” OLS in that it provides equal support for alien wave- lengths alongside native Apollo wavelengths, and supports a new “shared spectrum” capability.
Muse MuseSDN Control SDN Control
Automate provisioning Apollo Apollo OLS OLS Apollo Metro OLS Lower capital costs access Apollo Regional Apollo OLS OLS core Apollo Apollo Metro core OLS OLS
Maintain availability Apollo Apollo
OLS Metro OLS Apollo access OLS Apollo OLS Apollo Alien wavelengths & OLS shared spectrum
Featuring among the richest set of ROADM and amplification building blocks in the industry, Apollo can satisfy any open OLS configuration, including: • 2-degree to 20+-degree nodes. • Economical broadcast-and-select and low insertion loss route-and-select architectures. • Any mix of colorless, directionless, and contentionless (CDC) wavelength add/drop. • Fixed-grid and flexible-grid channel spacing.
5 Apollo Family
Unsurpassed end-to-end optical performance and fiber health visibility
Apollo’s open OLS provides unprecedented insight into the network’s optical health at all times. Proven algorithms convert integrated power measurements (no need for separate OCM cards) into OSNR and other parameters. OTDR modules report on the status of the multiple connections and splices along the fiber path, and pinpoints failures to within meters. Historical measurement analysis detects problems before they affect services. These unique capabilities allow operators to maintain their optical network proactively, eliminating the need for costly external test equipment, and reducing field maintenance costs.
Dynamic Restoration In the event of a fiber failure, Apollo OLS uses Wavelength Switched Optical Network (WSON) signaling to reroute wavelengths dynamically to restore services. This can be applied agnostically to both native and alien wavelengths, and can also be exercised under centralized SDN control.
Alien wavelengths and shared spectrum
All Apollo OLS optical routing and monitoring capabilities apply equally to Apollo native wavelengths and alien 3rd-party wavelengths. Apollo can even transport bands of alien or shared spectrum – configured as point-to-point spectral pipes, or sliced spectrum controllable over a ROADM domain – providing ultimate flexibility for opening up the optical network to partnerships and innovative services.
Alien wavelenght
Shared spectrum
6 Apollo Family
Access to Core OTN Switching
OTN switching packs and unpacks multiple lower speed services onto and off higher speed wavelengths under software control. It optimizes optical network solutions by providing benefits that include: • Grooming multiple lower speed services onto a reduced set of wavelengths. • Provisioning services rapidly and end-to-end under software control. • Employing ASON (automatic switched optical network) signaling to dynamically reroute and restore individual services in the event of link failures.
Apollo provides a complete set of access to core OTN switching platforms, with capacity scaling from 400G to 16T, enabling operators to obtain the benefits of OTN switching economically throughout their network. In particular, Apollo features a 1RU Access OTN Switch aimed at streamlined delivery of L1 business services to Enterprises, and a Metro OTN Switch with a unique design that adds capacity in a pay as you grow fashion.
L1 Business Services • GbE 1/10 • FC 1-32 • SDH/SONET
Disaggregated Open Control
Apollo supports both partially and fully disaggregated optical networks based on OpenConfig, OpenROADM, and ONF open and standard APIs, for a variety of configurations. This unleashes Apollo’s ability to deliver its unique benefits in multi-vendor networks, including high performance transport that transmits 400GbE clients further than any competitor approach, an optical line system that elevates alien wavelengths to alien spectrum and spectrum slicing, and OTN switching that revolutionizes delivery of L1 business services.
7 Apollo Family
SDN Lifecycle Management and Automation
Apollo expresses it full value when coupled with Muse SDN domain control. Advanced planning algorithms optimize architectures for Capex, and automated download of configuration files guarantee an error-free network turn-up. A library of services templates simplify provisioning, and links are verified before they go live. Data is continuously streamed from the network to monitor health, and analytics anticipates problems before they become service affecting. When hard problems do occur, dynamic rerouting restores links and services temporarily, while diagnostic tools pinpoint the failure source quickly enabling speedy dispatch and repair.
Muse integrates with OSS/BSS and higher-level domain controllers through open transport APIs, and permits migrating smoothly from human control, to partial automation with human oversight, to fully automated lifecycle control.
Contact Us to Find Out How Apollo Can Energize Your Optical Network
8 About Ribbon Ribbon Communications (Nasdaq: RBBN), which recently merged with ECI Telecom Group, delivers global communications software and network solutions to service providers, enterprises and critical infrastructure sectors. We engage deeply with our customers, helping them modernize their networks for improved competitive positioning and business outcomes in today’s smart, always-on and data-hungry world. Our innovative, end-to-end solutions portfolio delivers unparalleled scale, performance, and agility, including core to edge IP solutions, UCaaS/ CPaaS cloud offers, leading-edge software security and analytics tools, as well as packet and optical networking leveraging ECI’s Elastic Network technology.
