With the help of Ciena coherent optics technology, Windstream Wholesale is preparing for the next wavelength connection (800G).

Two companies announced that they have successfully operated three 800G wavelengths on Windstream’s 1590 kilometer route from Virginia Beach to Jacksonville, Florida, without regeneration. At the time of this news, Windstream plans to start selling 800G wave services in the second half of 2025.

John Nishimoto, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Windstream Wholesale, stated that this experiment marks the first long-distance transmission of multiple 800G waves in an on-site network.

He said, “Our early users began to inquire about the 800G service. We conducted these trials to confirm the operational feasibility of these advanced services and ensure that our engineering and operations teams are satisfied with this technology.”

Dell Oro analyst Jimmy Yu stated that Ciena used its WaveLogic 6 Extreme platform in the trial, which has unique advantages and can provide “higher network efficiency” for operators.

This is because Ciena is currently the only optical transmission supplier offering 1.6 Tbps coherent wavelength technology. He explained that other companies, such as Nokia, Huawei, and Cisco, offer a wavelength of 1.2 Tbps, but the range is much more limited.

In the Windstream case, it essentially “optimizes the pipeline” by dividing the 800G service into two 1.2 Tbps waves.

“Without this capability, operators can only support a limited number of 800G services and must allocate the remaining bandwidth to 400G wavelengths. “Nothing is wasted, but the 800Gbps services you can carry are limited,” Yu said.

The early demand for 800G was driven by artificial intelligence and cloud connectivity.

Besides Windstream, AT&T, Lumen, and Verizon have also tested Ciena’s coherent optics to prepare their networks for artificial intelligence and other bandwidth intensive applications.

Vertical Systems Group states that in fact, the “boom in artificial intelligence deployment” remains the main reason for cloud providers and enterprises to purchase more gigabit wavelength services.

The deployment of 800G waves is still in its early stages, but it will not last too long as the company expects a significant increase in installations this year.

He said, “It’s only a matter of time before there is a widespread demand for connections at 800 Gbps or higher, especially as companies build more data centers and require faster connections between data centers.”

But there will be some speed bumps on the road leading to 800G. According to VSG, limited availability of services and equipment, coupled with long delivery times for space and power, may hinder deployment.