Point2 Technology announced that it has partnered with OE Solutions to deliver DWDM C-band modules for the global 5G wireless carrier and cable TV access network markets. OE Solutions has developed optical transceiver modules based on the Point2 RangeXtender2 reference design with the P3A280 mixed-signal SoC. Transceiver modules with P3A280 can expect 30Km reach in the C-band and greater than 30Km in E-band and S-band.

As network speeds increase, optical dispersion in fiber optic cables limits transmission distance to about 15 kilometers. To extend transmission distances, service providers must deploy expensive erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and dispersion compensation fiber (DCF) hardware, which drives up the cost of network deployment. The P3A280 SoC in the RangeXtender2 module incorporates Point2's electrical dispersion compensation (EDC) engine to overcome optical dispersion challenges and extend 25G transmission reach to 30 Km without EDFA and DCF hardware, reducing total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 40 percent.

The production-ready RangeXtender2 development platform simplifies module design, accelerates time to market for module manufacturers, and reduces deployment costs for carriers and MSOs. The production-ready RangeXtender2 reference design includes Point2's P3A280 mixed-signal SoC with proprietary EDC technology. PAM4/NRZ optical module products based on the RangeXtender2 module reference design can extend the reach of 5G, edge, and cloud fronthaul and backhaul networks by up to 40 km.

By expanding the range of existing fiber transmission paths, RangeXtender2 can help 5G wireless and cable TV service providers reduce the total cost of ownership for 10G to 25G fiber optic infrastructure upgrades.