Facebook’s latest major contribution to the Telecom Infra Project is an open-source transponder

Facebook has developed what it believes to be the world’s first “ white box” transponder and routing solution. The device, called the Voyager, will help transfer data faster and more efficiently over optical fibre networks. The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) is an initiative to “reimagine the traditional approach to building and deploying telecom network infrastructure.” As one can gather from its definition, TIP’s goal is to democratise telecom hardware and speed up the deployment of network infrastructure. As Facebook explains in its blog post, optical fibre networks form the backbone of the networked world as we know it today. Right now, it’s the only way to transfer large volumes of data fast and at high efficiencies. Facebook’s latest transponder design uses something called Open Packet DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) to improve transmission on “metro and long-haul optic transport networks.” The design is open, in that third-parties can contribute hardware and software to a network that relies on these transponders. The transponder itself takes data from routers and other network infrastructure before suitably packaging and modulating the data for optical fibre transmission. Each unit of the Voyager houses 12 QSFP28 ports (each capable of 100Gbit/s data rates) and four DWDM line ports capable of handling 200Gbit/s data transfer rates. Facebook claims to leverage data centre technologies that it developed and implemented in its own Wedge 100 network switch when developing the Voyager. Facebook has tested these switches with Equinix and MTN in the US and South Africa respectively. It also plans to open-source the requisite software. “The open approach to development of optical packet systems will allow for faster time to market and a lower barrier of entry for new technologies, ultimately helping us move more quickly toward a more open and connected world,” said Facebook in a blog post.