EXFO Enables CFP2 Capabilities on Its High-Speed Transport Modules

QUEBEC CITY, CANADA, December 5, 2013 — EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO, TSX: EXF) today announced that it is extending its FTB/IQS-88100NGE Power Blazer and FTB/IQS-85100G Packet Blazer offerings to cover 100G testing capabilities, including 100G Ethernet (as per IEEE 802.3ba) and OTN (as per ITU-T G.709) on second-generation CFP2 high-speed optics, making EXFO’s 100G transport solution the only one on the market supporting both CFP and CFP2 interfaces on the same hardware.

CFP2 capabilities are available on existing 88100NGE Power Blazer and 85100G Packet Blazer modules through EXFO’s new patent pending CFP-to-CFP2 adapter, requiring no additional high-speed modules and thus maximizing customers’ return on investment (ROI). This CFP-to-CFP2 adapter comes with great flexibility, supporting the industry’s two implementations of 100G transceivers: 4 × 25G and 10 × 10G.

In today’s competitive market, service providers strive to meet bandwidth needs by increasing the speed of their networks. Taking this into consideration, network element manufacturers (NEMs) have shifted their 100G development to leverage the second-generation high-speed transceivers known as CFP2s. The new CFP2 transceivers bring significant advantages, including a fifty percent smaller form factor and more than fifty percent savings on power consumption compared to conventional CFPs. These transceivers allow higher port density on high-speed transmissions, switching and routing systems, and address future 100G mass deployments.

By anticipating this new market trend and technology shift, EXFO is offering its leading customers the flexibility to operate their existing FTB/IQS-88100NGE Power Blazer and FTB/IQS-85100G Packet Blazer with either CPFs or CFP2s. With this patent-pending solution, customers can have full testing capabilities on their lab and field units using either CFP or CFP2 transceivers at just a fraction of the cost of upgrading their full fleet of test units to dedicated CFP2-based modules. This unique offering in the market provides customers with maximum ROI and eliminates the need for multiple test modules.

“Over the past few years, EXFO has been a leading provider of high-speed multiservice testing solutions, and the extension of our 100G capabilities to address the new CFP2 transceivers carries on that trend” said Claudio Mazzuca, Vice-President of EXFO’s Transport and Service Assurance Division. “Our NEM and NSP customers are under pressure to speed up their development and time-to-market to generate more revenues, and we’re determined more than ever to provide game-changing solutions that bring more value to our customers.”

For more information about the FTB/IQS-85100G Packet Blazer and FTB/IQS-88100xx Power Blazer Multiservice Test Modules, please visit EXFO.com.

About EXFO

Listed on the NASDAQ and TSX stock exchanges, EXFO is among the leading providers of next-generation test and service assurance solutions for wireline and wireless network operators and equipment manufacturers in the global telecommunications industry. The company offers innovative solutions for the development, installation, management and maintenance of converged, IP fixed and mobile networks—from the core to the edge. Key technologies supported include 3G, 4G/LTE, IMS, Ethernet, OTN, FTTx, VDSL2, ADSL2+ and various optical technologies accounting for more than 35% of the portable fibre-optic test market. EXFO has a staff of approximately 1600 people in 25 countries, supporting more than 2000 customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.EXFO.com and follow us on the EXFO Blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.