Are 100G networks ready for prime time?

Though today's optical fiber communications traffic is encoded at 1 or 10 Gbit/s speeds, companies like Facebook are not alone in the push to 100 Gbit/s networks.

The ever-increasing need for higher-bandwidth and higher-speed optical data and communications transmission is driving the development of 100 gigabit per second (Gbit/s) or simply 100G technology. While much of today's network traffic is encoded at 1 Gbit/s or 10 Gbps speeds, 40 Gbit/s networks are already being installed and in fact, Verizon just demonstrated successful 100 Gbit/s optical data transmission on existing optical fibers that were originally conditioned for 10 Gbit/s service.

But while much of the buzz at communications conferences surrounds the technology developments and standards activities necessary to future implementation of 100 Gbit/s networks, many are asking: "Why can't I have 100G today?" The answer may lie in the efforts of several industry groups that are exploring whether 100G networks are possible using existing fiber infrastructures and whether unique optical or electronic tricks can bridge the gap from 10G to 40G to 100G systems. ~ Source: Laser Focus World