Omnitron offers 10G media converter for repeater, wavelength transponder applications/NeoPhotonics adds 40-km, 80-km SFP+ optical transceivers

Omnitron Systems Technology has unveiled the new iConverter XG+ 10-Gbps media converter, a protocol-transparent unit with two pluggable transceiver ports that support Power Level 4 XFP optical transceiver modules. The iConverter XG+ therefore can function as a long-range fiber repeater or a wavelength transponder, Omnitron says.

In addition to supporting Power Level 4 optical modules, which the company says is a media converter first, the iConverter XG+ also supports wavelength-tunable XFP transceivers for DWDM wavelengths. Network operators can set and save the wavelength of these tunable XFPs via the iConverter management system, which eliminates the need for external programming equipment, Omnitron adds.

Omnitron has partnered with Menara Networks to add Optical Transport Network (OTN) capabilities to the iConverter 10G+ as well. Menara Networks offers XFPs with OTN capabilities embedded within the optical module (see “Menara Networks announces full C-band tunable XFP, XENPAK modules”). The capabilities include integrated ITU-T G.709 OTU-2 framing, forward error correction (FEC), automatic receiver threshold adaptation, and SBS suppression for ultra long reach applications. It also can be tuned in 50-GHz increments.

Using the Menara Network XFPs, the iConverter XG+ can operate as a fiber repeater and wavelength transponder to extend OTN transmission distances over DWDM networks. The XG+ supports 100% traffic throughput and has no packet size restrictions, Omnitron asserts. It offers protocol transparency within the range of 9.95 to 11.32 Gbps, which supports such common protocols as 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 10-Gbps SONET/SDH, 10G Fibre Channel, and G.709 OTN OTU-2.

iConverter XG modules are available as standalone units or chassis plug-in modules. Three interface configurations are available that support XFP to XFP, XFP to SFP+, and SFP+ to SFP+, respectively. Pluggable XFP and SFP+ transceivers are supported for multimode and singlemode applications. Copper to fiber conversion is achieved with CX4 interface XFP transceivers.

Management capabilities include status reporting, fault detection, threshold violations, loopback functionality, and SNMP trap notification.


NeoPhotonics Corp. (NYSE: NPTN) has added longer-reach SFP+ transceivers to its line of modules that meet 40-km (ER) and 80-km (ZR) reach requirements and support various communication protocols. The new SFP+ optical transceiver modules complement NeoPhotonics existing 6-Gbps SFP+ transceivers for Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) and 10-Gbps SFP+ modules for 10 Gigabit Ethernet and OC-192/STM-64 SONET/SDH transport.

SFP+ transceivers without integrated CDR are designed to support 10-Gigabit Ethernet transport and comply with IEEE 802.3-2005 and 802.3-2008. Versions with an integrated CDR support OC-192/STM-64 SONET/SDH and comply with the ITU-T Recommendation G.709 for Optical Transport Network (OTN) at the OTU2 line rate.

All of the company’s transceivers are designed to meet Telcordia GR-468 CORE qualification requirements and cover the extended operating temperature range of -5 to +85ºC (E-Temp), NeoPhotonics asserts. Both RoHS5 and RoHS6 versions are available as well. The SFP+ ER and ZR transceivers are available in sample quantities.