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Move data at the speed of light — securely, reliably and efficiently across your organization.
WWT helps you design, evaluate and operate optical transport — from fiber and DWDM fundamentals through flex‑spectrum ROADM and routed optical networking (RON) convergence.
Breaking Down Optical Networking Technologies
Optical networking spans everything from raw fiber capacity to how packets and light converge into one network. Here's how the pieces fit together.
Fiber & WDM Fundamentals
The physical layer that makes it all possible — how CWDM/DWDM let one fiber pair carry dozens of independent data streams.
Flex Spectrum & Colorless ROADM
Packing more wavelengths into the same fiber, with colorless/directionless ROADM letting them reroute automatically — the active edge of DWDM deployment today.
Coherent Pluggables & Speed
Coherent DWDM optics small enough to plug directly into a router — 400G today, 800G shipping now, 1.6T on deck.
Converged Optical & Packet Networking
Routers take on wavelength management directly, collapsing IP, OTN and DWDM into one software‑driven architecture.
Briefings & Workshops
Converged Optical & Packet Networking Workshop
The Converged Optical & Packet Networking Workshop is an interactive, customized 4-hour experience that will provide the relevant information necessary to make informed business and technical decisions.
Optical Networking Workshop
The Optical Networking Workshop is an interactive, customized 2-hour experience that will provide the relevant information necessary to make informed business and technical decisions.
Optical Networking Assessment
Over the past decade, the Optical Network Communication industry has experienced an explosive growth, magnifying its size fourfold. Concurrently, consumer demands on these networks have surged to unprecedented levels. The long-standing infrastructure, which has faithfully served for decades, is now under immense strain. Traffic increases due to AI, streaming video, etc. stress the network on a global scale. Network operators are in dire need of assistance to kickstart the process of accelerating the modernization of the network while integrating new features and enhancing existing capacity.
The Optical Network Acceleration Service is geared towards expediting the modernization of your network. It involves a comprehensive review and evaluation of the network elements that support optical transport (SONET/SDH, OTN/DWDM, PoE/TDM/CEM, and more). This service encompasses site surveys, staging reviews, configuration and integration evaluations, and in-depth testing procedures—all aimed at ensuring that your optical network changes and updates align with your ultimate goals.
Multi-Layer, Multi-Vendor (MLMV) Core Networking Guided Lab
WWT's Multi-Layer Multi-Vendor (MLMV) lab is an innovative and versatile physical lab environment focused on core networking. It is designed to demonstrate the integration of technologies from Layer 0 (the physical layer) to Layer 3 (the network layer) across multiple vendors in a cohesive system. This lab is designed to be custom-tailored to your specific needs. During this briefing, we will share an overview of the MLMV lab environment, discuss our capabilities, and develop a high-level plan to meet your needs.
Featured Labs
Cisco Optical DWDM Sandbox
This lab provides a hands-on environment to get familiar with provisioning circuits on the Cisco Network Convergence System (NCS) 2000. This environment can also be customized and is used for our custom optical trainings.
IP Routing Lab for Optical Engineers
There is a movement in the industry to combine the optical network and the routed network, with Cisco leading the charge. The architecture is known as RON, Routed Optical Networks. With the RON architecture, the services that Optical Engineers are accustomed to delivering within the optical network are now provided via the routed network. Services such as site-to-site traffic demand, path selection, and path protection. With this shift in architecture, there is a growing requirement for optical engineers' expertise to span both optical and routing. This lab is designed to demonstrate how the routed network delivers these services and how to configure a basic RON network using Segment Routing.
NCS-1004 Transponder Using Alien Waves Lab
This lab will demonstrate the Cisco NCS-1004 transponder system's functionality and a common use case: adding it to an existing DWDM system as an "alien" device utilizing "alien" wavelengths.
Multi-Layer, Multi-Vendor (MLMV) Core Networking Guided Lab
WWT's Multi-Layer Multi-Vendor (MLMV) lab is an innovative and versatile physical lab environment focused on core networking. It is designed to demonstrate the integration of technologies from Layer 0 (the physical layer) to Layer 3 (the network layer) across multiple vendors in a cohesive system. This lab is designed to be custom-tailored to your specific needs. During this briefing, we will share an overview of the MLMV lab environment, discuss our capabilities, and develop a high-level plan to meet your needs.
Learning Resources
Introduction to Optical Networking
This video series provides a comprehensive overview of optical networking, exploring fiber optics, WDM, DWDM add/drop multiplexers, and optical transceivers. Participants will gain insights into light propagation, network applications, WDM technology, and transceiver performance, enabling them to understand fiber optic cables, network architectures, and make informed decisions about network deployment and optimization.
Custom Optical Training
WWT's Custom Optical Training provides a customized class for up to twelve (12) students on Cisco Optical Technologies and Equipment. Class material is customized based upon your organization's needs and the equipment you have in your network. Students can select from a set of standard training modules and a specific duration, or a custom training class can be developed. This Training Service utilizes various different Cisco Optical Platforms in the WWT Advanced Technology Center for hands-on lab demonstrations and troubleshooting exercises. The optical equipment can be accessed virtually so that the training can be offered on site at your location.
Optical and IP convergence - Round Table Discussion
This playlist explores the exciting world of converged optical and IP networks. Learn about the fundamentals of convergence, including its benefits and the key drivers pushing this evolution. Discover the complexities of managing converged networks, including transport options and multi-vendor considerations. Explore the latest optical innovations, from high-speed transceivers to Private Line Emulation. This playlist is designed for network engineers, telecommunications professionals, and anyone interested in the future of high-speed communications.
WWT Simplifies Optical Evolution
Learn how WWT streamlines complex optics transitions, from AI data center clusters to 800G core upgrades, using a proven, multi-vendor validation process. This article outlines our complete journey from initial architectural design through integration and support, ensuring your path to high-performance optics is clear and reliable.
Optical Networking - What's New
The latest thinking on fiber, DWDM and converged optical/packet networking — kept current as the technology moves.
Coherent DWDM in the 800G Era
800G coherent pluggables ship today and 1.6T is close behind. The AI demand shift, the power math and what 400ZR through 1600ZR+ actually deliver.
Connecting Distributed Data Centers: What's Changing in Optical Transport
AI-driven traffic is reshaping how operators connect distributed data centers. Here's what's new in converged IP/optical, OLS and coherent pluggables.
Network Automation Maturity Model
Our Network Automation Maturity Model gives organizations a structured framework for moving from limited automation to a fully autonomous network. Discover where your organization stands today and the steps you can take to level up.
Cisco Live 2026: What the WWT Networking Team Learned in Las Vegas
Each year, Cisco Live brings together tens of thousands of networking professionals for a week of announcements, deep-dive sessions, and the kind of candid conversations that only happen in person. This year in Las Vegas, WWT sent a team of networking subject matter experts covering wireless, switching, SD-WAN, core routing, optical networking, and data center networking. What they brought back was a consistent signal: AI is no longer a strategy conversation, it is an infrastructure conversation, and the network is squarely at the center of it.
Light Speed Ahead - Optical Networking Trends in 2026
Optical networking is shifting fast in 2026. Get up to speed on 800G/1.6T, CPO, open line systems and what it means for your infrastructure.
Optical Networking Real World Impact
Optical Networking Real World Impact
Service Provider Chariton Valley Discovers Network Migration Solution
The forward-thinking service provider needed to upgrade its aging DWDM/ROADM transport to support a modernized, resilient, scalable and flexible network. With WWT's help, the company now has a strategy in place to support its growing customer base.
SC Broadband Steps into the Future with Nokia's Next Gen DWDM Transport
With the sun setting on their current DWDM system, SC Broadband needed to select a new DWDM/ROADM transport solution that would accommodate their growth and expansion for the foreseeable future.
WWT Accelerates 5G Rollout with Optical Training and Deployment Expertise
A Tier 1 service provider needed to upgrade its network architecture, consolidate legacy platforms and increase scalability, and turned to WWT to configure, validate and deploy thousands of optical racks.
Squeeze ROI Out of Legacy Technology With Converged IT/OT Solutions
WWT, Cisco and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories recently demonstrated a converged transport solution aimed at helping utility organizations at the DistribuTECH International conference.
Converged Core Networks Increase Sustainability
Network operators are discovering sustainability benefits by converging optical and routed layers. Let's dive in and see why.