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Advancements and Applications of Coherent Pluggable Technology in High Bandwidth Transport Networks - BRKOPT-2556#

Cisco Live Europe 2025 (Amsterdam) digest Program Core pick Amsterdam · 9–14 February 2025

Abstract

Speakers: Anuj Malik (Cisco)

  • Why: Coherent pluggables are the driving force behind the IP/optical convergence reshaping DC-WAN interconnect economics (400G/800G ZR/ZR+ directly in router ports) — central to physical DC networking interests.
  • What: A technical treatment of coherent pluggable transceivers: the key components (tunable lasers, high-speed ADC/DACs, DSP algorithms), performance metrics (data rates, reach, power consumption) compared with traditional line-side coherent solutions, real-world deployment scenarios, and the trend toward IP and optical layer convergence. (from abstract only)
  • How: Covers how coherent DSP, tunable lasers, and modern ADC/DAC integration let a pluggable form factor carry coherent modulation over metro-to-long-haul distances, displacing separate transponder shelves and moving coherent optics into router/switch ports.
  • Where applicable: Optical transport and DCI design generally; vendor-neutral in physics, though examples will skew to Cisco's pluggable portfolio. Useful for anyone deciding between pluggable-coherent and transponder-based DCI architectures.