The Cisco^®ONS 15454 Multiservice Transport Platform (MSTP) High-Power Counter-Propagating and Co-Propagating Raman Amplifiers operate in the C-band region of the optical spectrum to extend the reach and capacity of regional, long-haul, and ultra-long-haul optical networks beyond what is achievable through standard Raman amplifiers or Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs). These cards are part of the Cisco ONS 15454 MSTP intelligent dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) platform, engineered to reduce DWDM complexity and speed the deployment of next-generation networking solutions.

Supporting 96 channels in the C band, the Cisco ONS 15454 High-Power Counter- and Co-Propagating Raman Amplifiers (15454-M-RAMAN-CTP and 15454-M-RAMAN-COP, respectively) are plug-in modules that provide the reach and optical performance required to meet the most demanding distance requirements of service provider and enterprise DWDM networks.

A Raman amplifier uses the intrinsic properties of silica fiber to obtain signal amplification, such that transmission fibers themselves can be used as a medium for amplification, allowing the attenuation of data signals transmitted over the fiber to be mitigated within the fiber itself. An amplifier working on the basis of this principle is commonly known as a distributed Raman amplifier (DRA) or simply a Raman amplifier. The high-power counter- and co-propagating Raman amplifiers are a marked improvement on this technology. In contrast to the standard Raman amplifier where a single counter-propagating Raman pump signal is responsible for the amplification of the traffic signals in the fiber, there are two units: the high power counter-propagating card, which in itself possesses a superior amplification capability compared to a standard Raman amplifier, and a co-propagating Raman card. Together the two units generate Raman pump signals that co- and counter-propagate with the data signal, amplifying it through the Raman effect. Together, the co- and counter-propagating Raman pumps from these units provide amplification to combat signal attenuation in fiber over a much longer distance than previously possible, considerably extending the reach of a single DWDM span.