Our vendor Adtran
Adtran supplies equipment for DWDM transport, active dark fibre monitoring and network timing. The product portfolio stems from the merger of Adtran and ADVA Optical Networking in 2022. Distri X distributes Adtran products and provides support with pre-sales, architectural design and implementation.
DWDM transmission: from 100G to 1.6 Tbit/s
The FSP 3000 is Adtran’s DWDM transport platform for metro and regional fibre-optic traffic. The platform supports ROADM (Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) functionality, which enables wavelengths to be routed flexibly without conversion to the electrical domain.
Coherent pluggable optics for 100G, 400G and 800G are available as plug-in modules. The 100ZR and 400ZRE are the primary pluggable transceivers; the M-Flex800 line card supports all three speeds in a single slot and enables the multiplexing of 100GbE, 400GbE and OTU4 services to 800G line rate. The FSP 3000 IP OLS platform scales further to 1.6 Tbit/s per wavelength and enables a phased migration from 400ZR to 800G ZR and beyond without replacing the line infrastructure.
The FSP 3000 operates as an open line system. Adtran’s coherent optics have been validated in multi-vendor environments through public OIF plugfests and live demonstrations at ECOC. Third parties can deploy their own pluggables on the FSP 3000 OLS.
For data centre interconnect, the FSP 3000 IP OLS offers a compact 1U solution with integrated amplification, filtering and automated span equalisation. Zero-touch provisioning and integrated OTDR monitoring reduce the time between installation and commissioning.
Monitoring dark fibre with the ALM
The ALM (Active Line Monitor) continuously monitors dark and lit fibres. The system injects a low-power measurement signal at a wavelength outside the traffic band, typically 1625 nm or 1650 nm. This allows the measurement to run in parallel with active services without causing interference.
The system sets alarm thresholds based on the optical loss value across the entire fibre path. If these thresholds are exceeded, it generates an alert well before the connection fails. In addition to loss monitoring, the ALM uses reflection measurements to calculate the exact location of a problem in the fibre path. This significantly reduces the time needed to dispatch a technician to the correct location.
Dark fibre runs through infrastructure that is not exclusively under our own management: cable ducts beneath roads, building service rooms, and multi-storey car parks. Without active monitoring, physical deterioration or damage goes unnoticed until it is too late. ALM makes the difference between reacting to a fault and anticipating it.
Network synchronisation and timing
Timing is no minor matter in modern telecoms networks. 5G TDD networks require a time accuracy of less than 130 nanoseconds between base stations to prevent interference. Power grids use synchronisation for remote protection. Financial systems require accurate timestamps for regulatory accountability.
Adtran supplies timing hardware derived from ADVA’s Oscilloquartz portfolio. The products include GNSS-disciplined grandmaster clocks that use GPS, Galileo or other satellite systems as their primary time reference. Distribution hardware disseminates this timing across the network via PTP (Precision Time Protocol, IEEE 1588v2) and SyncE (Synchronous Ethernet).
PTP transmits time and frequency over packet-switched networks. SyncE transmits frequency via the physical Ethernet clock. In practice, the two are combined: SyncE for stable frequency distribution, and PTP for the time phase.
The PRTC and ePRTC (Primary Reference Time Clock and Enhanced PRTC) accuracy classes define the precision of the time reference. An ePRTC-certified system achieves an accuracy of 30 nanoseconds or better relative to UTC, which is the required class for 5G fronthaul.
Fiber access
Adtran also supplies OLT systems and ONT equipment for GPON and XGS-PON deployments, used by operators rolling out fibre-optic networks to homes and businesses. Management is carried out via the Mosaic platform. PON forms part of the portfolio,
but is not the core of what sets Adtran apart in the optical transport infrastructure market.
Our partnership with Adtran
Distri X distributes Adtran products. We provide expert advice on WDM
architecture design, ALM implementations and timing issues, from link budget calculations through to commissioning.
Our network of specialists
We work with suppliers who, like us, believe that speed, content and direct lines of communication make all the difference. Not a catalogue, but a network.
Vendor? Let’s talk.
We are looking for vendors who are able to adapt quickly and who believe in relationships over transactions. Please send us your proposal. We will reply within one working day.
