Optical Communication Comparison Guide | Optical Transceiver Technology丨C-LIGHT

By C-LIGHT Marketing 丨 Feb 17, 2026

FR spans 2 kilometers over CWDM wavelengths on a duplex LC pair. ER spans 30 to 40 kilometers with higher launch power, greater receiver sensitivity, and tighter wavelength control.

FR vs ZR

By C-LIGHT Marketing 丨 Feb 16, 2026

FR and ZR bracket the single-mode pluggable landscape. FR covers 2 kilometers over CWDM on dedicated fiber. ZR covers 80 to 120 kilometers over coherent DWDM on amplified line systems.

2km vs 500m Optical Interconnect

By C-LIGHT Marketing 丨 Feb 15, 2026

500 m optical interconnects use parallel single-mode lanes and MPO connectors. 2 km interconnects use CWDM wavelengths and duplex LC.

2km vs 10km Data Center Interconnect

By C-LIGHT Marketing 丨 Feb 14, 2026

2 km DCI links use CWDM over duplex LC for campus building-to-building connectivity. 10 km DCI links use LAN-WDM or a single 1310 nm wavelength for metro data center interconnect.

2km vs 40 km Data Center Interconnect

By C-LIGHT Marketing 丨 Feb 13, 2026

2km DCI uses CWDM over duplex LC for campus building-to-building links. 40km DCI uses LAN-WDM or 1550nm with higher launch power and tighter wavelength control for metro and regional interconnect.

10km vs 40km Data Center Interconnect

By C-LIGHT Marketing 丨 Feb 12, 2026

10km DCI uses LAN-WDM or a single 1310 nm wavelength over duplex LC for metro data center interconnect. 40km DCI uses LAN-WDM or 1550 nm with higher launch power and tighter wavelength control for regional interconnect.

40km vs 80km Data Center Interconnect

By C-LIGHT Marketing 丨 Feb 11, 2026

40km DCI marks the end of direct-detect PAM4 and the limit of ER interfaces. 80km DCI marks the beginning of coherent detection with 400ZR and 800ZR on amplified DWDM line systems.

80km vs 120km Coherent Optics

By C-LIGHT Marketing 丨 Feb 10, 2026

80km and 120km are the two standard reach tiers for coherent pluggable optics. 80km represents the baseline 400ZR specification. 120km represents the extended-reach 400ZR+ and OpenZR+ variants.

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