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EXFO showcases industry’s first lab to fabrication 1.6T TEST solution

Advancing the race to 1.6T for AI infrastructure testing and validation


QUEBEC CITY, April 1, 2025 — EXFO, the communications industry’s test, monitoring, and analytics experts, today unveiled the telecom industry’s first 1.6T validation system that supports the complete end-to-end 1.6T ecosystem—from design to component and transceiver manufacturing, to ongoing validation. The ‘lab to fab’ solution, EXFO’s BA-1600 Bit Analyzer, was introduced at OFC 2025 in San Francisco at EXFO booth #5301.

EXFO’s BA-1600 is an electrical BER tester supporting PAM4 coding to 8 channels at 224G with testing capabilities up to 1.6T. The solution’s flexibility and reliability make it an indispensable tool supporting 1.6T devices.

“This is an exciting innovation from EXFO that accelerates the race to 1.6T,” said Etienne Gagnon, Senior Vice President, Test & Measurement at EXFO. “It’s a necessary step to support demand created by machine learning and AI applications, ensuring faster ramp-up and faster time-to-market for manufacturers, hyperscalers, datacenter operators, and other service providers.”

The unique, early-stage 1.6T transceiver testing from EXFO utilizes the same platform in the lab as in fabrication for seamless transition and correlation. This latest innovation builds on the company’s experience and test strength for 800G networking, delivering the rigorous testing needed to ensure seamless integration, reliability, and compatibility with existing infrastructure as high-speed networks are deployed.

Some of the other ‘lab-to-fab, fab-to-live’ solutions that OFC attendees won’t want to miss at EXFO’s booth include:

  • Passive component test platforms: EXFO’s CPT10 passive optical component testing platform and the OPAL-MD multi-die automated probe station designed to support PIC (photonic integrated circuits) testing;
  • 800G electrical & optical validation: the FTBx-88800 800G dual-port, dual-test solution, enabling 800G-ZR/ZR+ for testing DCO (digital coherent optics) transceivers;
  • Electrical NRZ-PAM4 BER: the BA-4000-L2-RCNC BER tester carrying real traffic, and the new BA-4000-RCNC designed for the production floor, both supporting LPO transceiver testing;
  • Evolutive multiservice 1G-800G tester, the FTBx-88480 Series: industry’s only portable dual-port 400G test solution also supporting dual-port 400ZR and 400ZR+ coherent optics; software upgradeable to 800G;
  • FTB Lite OTDR series: Always mobile-connected to EXFO Exchange, enabling streamlined compliance and automated validation, enhanced collaboration and efficiency, and valuable insights;
  • Duplex & multi-fiber testing: PXM/LXM OLTS providing one-second testing, quick duplex and multi-fiber switch with Click-Out adapters, and duplex one-cord referencing including VSFF (very small form factor) connectors.

As well, EXFO solution manager Jean-Marie Vilain will join a panel discussion at OFC addressing the topic, Will the complexity and higher link speeds of hyperscale data centers hinder interoperability? to be held April 2 at 10:15 a.m. in Theater II.

For more information about EXFO’s BA-1600 visit: BA-1600 - 1.6T Bit Analyzer. 

About EXFO

EXFO develops smarter test, monitoring and analytics solutions for the global communications industry. We are trusted advisers to fixed and mobile network operators, hyperscalers and leaders in the manufacturing, development and research sector. They count on us to deliver superior visibility and insights into network performance, service reliability and user experience. Building on over 35 years of innovation, EXFO’s unique blend of equipment, software and services enable faster, more confident transformations related to 5G, cloud-native and fibre optic networks.

For information:
Shelley Grandy for EXFO
Email: shelley.grandy@exfo.com