Transceiver
Compatibility
Vendor Lock
MSA
Optical Networking
TCO
Network Engineering
Cisco
Juniper
Open Source
Cisco says third-party optics void your support contract. The MSA says otherwise. Here's what the standards actually guarantee, what vendor lock costs at scale, and how to run the risk-adjusted calculation.
Rene Fichtmueller
/
2026-05-09
/
~2 min read min read
Silicon Photonics
Indium Phosphide
Optical Networking
SiPh
InP
Photonic Integrated Circuit
CMOS
Coherent Optics
Supply Chain
Intel
Cisco
Lumentum
Coherent Corp
Foundry
Semiconductor
Two materials. Two manufacturing ecosystems. Two different bets on the future of optical networking. The choice between Silicon Photonics and Indium Phosphide determines who can build your optics, how fast,
Rene Fichtmueller
/
2026-04-30
/
~3 min read min read