Precision OT EVP on saving customers from optical 'landmines'

By testing the interoperability of its optical technologies with other vendors during the OIF demo, Precision Optical Technologies (OT) was tasked with 'stepping on landmines so the customer doesn't have to,' says EVP Keith Habberfield.

At a Glance

  • Challenges to developing 400G ZR+ technology (08:23)
  • OIF's interoperability demo at OFC (13:08)
  • What Precision OT learns from other vendors during the OIF demo (15:55)

Keith Habberfield, EVP for Precision Optical Technologies (OT), joins the podcast with a behind-the-scenes look at the effort required to participate alongside 46 other companies in the OIF demo at the recent OFC Conference in San Diego. 

Precision OT focuses on developing photonic technology and electric/optical interoperability. The company also has a R&D team that develops chip prototypes. 

By testing the interoperability of these optical technologies with other vendors during the OIF demo, Precision OT was tasked with "stepping on landmines so the customer doesn't have to," says Habberfield. He explains how Precision OT takes learnings from the demo and its R&D efforts to improve customer experience. Habberfield also shares new developments in 400G ZR+ technology covered at the OFC event.      

Click on the caption button for a lightly edited transcript. 

Here are a few topics we cover:

  • Background on Precision OT (04:55) 

  • Why there's more of an optical industry focus on AI and the data center at the moment (06:32)

  • Challenges to developing 400G ZR+ technology (08:23)

  • OIF's interoperability demo at OFC (13:08)

  • What Precision OT learns from other vendors during the OIF demo and how the company applies those learnings to improving customer experience (15:55)

  • Final thoughts on the OFC Conference (23:43)

About the Author(s)

Kelsey Ziser

Senior Editor, Light Reading

Kelsey is a senior editor at Light Reading, co-host of the Light Reading podcast, and host of the "What's the story?" podcast.

Her interest in the telecom world started with a PR position at Connect2 Communications, which led to a communications role at the FREEDM Systems Center, a smart grid research lab at N.C. State University. There, she orchestrated their webinar program across college campuses and covered research projects such as the center's smart solid-state transformer.

Kelsey enjoys reading four (or 12) books at once, watching movies about space travel, crafting and (hoarding) houseplants.

Kelsey is based in Raleigh, N.C.

Phil Harvey

Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading

Phil Harvey has been a Light Reading writer and editor for more than 18 years combined. He began his second tour as the site's chief editor in April 2020.

His interest in speed and scale means he often covers optical networking and the foundational technologies powering the modern Internet.

Harvey covered networking, Internet infrastructure and dot-com mania in the late 90s for Silicon Valley magazines like UPSIDE and Red Herring before joining Light Reading (for the first time) in late 2000.

After moving to the Republic of Texas, Harvey spent eight years as a contributing tech writer for D CEO magazine, producing columns about tech advances in everything from supercomputing to cellphone recycling.

Harvey is an avid photographer and camera collector – if you accept that compulsive shopping and "collecting" are the same.

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