400G Transponder and Muxponder Cards – APX-DCO-400G-T2 / -M4
Product Overview
The Apex APX-DCO-400G-T2 and APX-DCO-400G-M4 are single-slot 400G coherent cards for flexible transport on OTN platforms. The APX-DCO-400G-T2 is a 400G transponder with two independent conversion units, while the APX-DCO-400G-M4 multiplexes four 100G clients onto one 400G coherent line.
The transponder variant provides two QSFP-DD client ports supporting DR4, LR4, FR4, SR8 and LR8 optics and two 400G CFP2 DCO coherent line ports. It maps 400GE to ODUC4 and OTUC4 and supports 16QAM, 16QAM-PCS and QPSK line modulation with soft-decision FEC.
The muxponder variant aggregates four QSFP28 100G clients supporting SR4, LR4 and CWDM4 into a single 400G CFP2 DCO line, mapping 100GE, 100GE FlexE and OTU4 through ODU4, ODUC4 and OTUC4. Both cards tune over 48 channels on a 100GHz grid in the extended C-band and offer automatic laser shutdown, latency measurement, LLDP and GMP functions.
Key Features
- Single-slot 400G coherent cards for OTN transport platforms
- APX-DCO-400G-T2: two independent 400G transponder units
- APX-DCO-400G-T2 client side: 2 x QSFP-DD (DR4/LR4/FR4/SR8/LR8)
- APX-DCO-400G-T2 line side: 2 x 400G CFP2 DCO coherent
- APX-DCO-400G-M4: four 100G clients to one 400G line
- APX-DCO-400G-M4 client side: 4 x QSFP28 100G (SR4/LR4/CWDM4)
- Mapping through ODU4, ODUC4 and OTUC4
- Line modulation options of 16QAM, 16QAM-PCS and QPSK
- Soft-decision FEC for long-reach performance
- Tunable 48-channel extended C-band on a 100GHz grid
- Automatic laser shutdown, latency measurement, LLDP and GMP
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|
| Part Number | APX-DCO-400G-T2 / APX-DCO-400G-M4 |
| Brand | Apex |
| Card Type | Single-slot DCO transponder and muxponder |
| APX-DCO-400G-T2 Client Ports | 2 x QSFP-DD 400G (DR4/LR4/FR4/SR8/LR8) |
| APX-DCO-400G-T2 Line Ports | 2 x 400G CFP2 DCO coherent |
| APX-DCO-400G-M4 Client Ports | 4 x QSFP28 100G (SR4/LR4/CWDM4) |
| APX-DCO-400G-M4 Line Ports | 1 x 400G CFP2 DCO coherent |
| Client Mapping (T2) | 400GE to ODUC4 to OTUC4 |
| Client Mapping (M4) | 100GE, 100GE FlexE and OTU4 to ODU4 to ODUC4 to OTUC4 |
| Line Modulation | 16QAM, 16QAM-PCS, QPSK |
| FEC | Soft-decision FEC (SD-FEC) |
| DWDM Grid | 100GHz spacing |
| Wavelength Tunability | Tunable, 48 channels, extended C-band |
| Diagnostics and Overhead | GMP, automatic laser shutdown, latency measurement, LLDP |
| Host Platform | Fits the OTN and DCI transport platforms |
Available Configurations
APX-DCO-400G-T2 Transponder
Two independent conversion units each carry 400G, with two QSFP-DD client ports and two 400G CFP2 DCO coherent line ports per card, mapping 400GE to ODUC4 and OTUC4.
APX-DCO-400G-M4 Muxponder
Four QSFP28 100G clients are aggregated onto a single 400G CFP2 DCO line, mapping 100GE, 100GE FlexE and OTU4 through ODU4, ODUC4 and OTUC4.
Applications
Metro and Regional Transport
Tunable 48-channel extended C-band wavelengths carry 400G coherent transport across metro and regional routes.
Data Center Interconnect
400GE clients are mapped onto coherent wavelengths for high-capacity links between data centers.
100G Service Aggregation
The muxponder card aggregates four 100G services onto one 400G line, conserving wavelengths and line ports.
Long-Haul Wavelength Transport
Soft-decision FEC and selectable modulation support long-reach transport across regional and long-haul spans.
Compatibility
Interoperable with major optical transport and networking platforms. The client side uses standard QSFP-DD and QSFP28 MSA pluggables, the line side follows ITU-T and MSA specifications, and both cards are managed through the host transport platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the transponder and muxponder cards?
The APX-DCO-400G-T2 is a transponder with two independent 400G units, while the APX-DCO-400G-M4 is a muxponder that aggregates four 100G clients onto a single 400G line.
Which client optics are supported?
The transponder supports QSFP-DD DR4, LR4, FR4, SR8 and LR8 optics, and the muxponder supports QSFP28 SR4, LR4 and CWDM4 optics.
What line modulation and FEC options are available?
Line modulation options are 16QAM, 16QAM-PCS and QPSK, with soft-decision FEC for long-reach performance.
Can these cards mix with other cards in the same chassis?
Yes. Both are single-slot cards that share the host OTN platform chassis, management and slot architecture with other service cards.
Why Choose Apex
- Transponder and muxponder options in a single-slot 400G form factor
- Flexible client optics across QSFP-DD 400G and QSFP28 100G
- Selectable 16QAM, 16QAM-PCS and QPSK line modulation with SD-FEC
- Tunable 48-channel extended C-band and built-in GMP and LLDP
