Week in research: Coherent 100G takes over core networks; power line communications may see 19% CAGR

100G no longer a question of when: Core networks are poised for the next step in wavelength as operators worldwide are on the verge of deploying coherent 100G. Infonetics Research predicts that by 2015, the number of deployed coherent wavelengths will climb from 5 percent to 37 percent and will account for 68 percent of deployments in the core and 29 percent in the metro. "The debate between 40G and 100G in WDM networks is over," said Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst for optics at Infonetics. "What we found is that operators participating in our study expect coherent 100G to take over most core networks by 2015 and even make some minor inroads into the metro," while ROADM nodes and degree counts--already a major part of optical networks--will increase by a factor of more than 2. News release

Infonetics coherent wavelength deployments

UC takes hold in Mexico: Companies in Mexico are grabbing the unified communications and collaboration (UCC) opportunity with both hands, Frost & Sullivan reported in mid-December, generating revenues of $272.3 million in 2011. The research firm forecast that revenues in the country will climb to $478.2 million by 2018. Many legacy voice systems in Mexico have reached end-of-life, prompting enterprises to migrate to IP-based environments, while small and medium businesses in Mexico are turning toward cloud-based UCC offerings. However, increasing demand plus limitations in the country's telecom infrastructure could make for fierce competition among UC vendors. "To remain competitive, participants must look for new sales opportunities and develop strategies to cater to the needs of the untapped SMB market in particular," noted Francisco Rizzo, research analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "It is essential to build UCC systems that also offer cloud-based solutions." News release

PLC for the next generation: Power line communication is beginning to come into its own as it transitions from transmitting low bandwidth analog and digital information to a new role in such areas as smart grid, broadband over power line and M2M applications. A December report by MarketsandMarkets predicts the PLC system market will see revenue growth from $2.94 billion in 2013 to $7.10 billion by 2018 at a CAGR of 19.3 percent. Asia Pacific is an emerging market for PLC, with China and Japan leading the pack, while the United States will see the biggest growth in the Americas region. News release