Reach Extension - SONET, GbE, 10 GbE

Reach extension is required when the optical power of the transmission equipment is insufficient due to the length and therefore the loss of the fiber optic span.

A regenerator equipped with long reach (LR) SFP or XFP transceivers extends the reach of a fiber optic span operating with a single-channel bit rate of ≤ 3.0 Gb/s or 10 Gb/s, respectively. The regenerator provides the service provider with an economical, space and power efficient alternative instead of using a more expensive optical multiplexer.

Reach extension can be performed by a regenerator used at a customer premise location, mid-span, or both.

Regenerators are particularly useful for extending the reach of Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) or 10 GbE transceivers. GbE and 10 GbE transceivers at a customer premise will typically have a lower power output and wider optical spectrum than a SONET multiplexer. Placing a regenerator at the customer premise can increase the output power and narrow the optical spectrum of the GbE or 10GbE transceiver and so provide increased reach. SFPs and XFPs are used in the regenerator to provide the required wavelength, mode, or media conversion.

In summary, a regenerator can be used to:

• Provide cost-effective mid-span regeneration by avoiding placement of a SONET or Ethernet transceiver.
• Extend the reach of a GbE or 10 GbE by providing additional signal strength and receiver sensitivity at the customer premise.