Optical module procurement budget route under the 400G trend_No delays

Procurement of high-speed optical modules under the 400G trend: How to save the budget and why not bet on the position early

Published: 2026-08-11 EB-LINK Views: 1089 400G procurement, high-speed optical modules, DAC cables, total cost of ownership, batch transition

The industry generally expects that 400G will enter more centralized procurement lists and 800G will begin to be discussed. However, the pace of evolution is still in the observation stage for most projects. Instead of worrying about whether to do it in one step, it is better to consider how to keep the budget based on the total cost and pace. This article gives a pragmatic route to procurement.

Calculate three accounts first, and then discuss the position

Port account: Modules, network cards, and switch ports must be upgraded simultaneously. Changing one gear alone is often stuck on the bottleneck port. First, take inventory of the existing gears on the three ends.
Power and cooling account: The power consumption of a single high-speed optical module of the same generation is usually higher. The cabinet power distribution and cooling budget should be reviewed simultaneously, and the shell temperature should be measured if necessary.
Optical path account: Jumpers, patch panel ports and labeling systems must be able to accommodate the next batch of links to prevent links from being terminated everywhere.

Use total cost of ownership instead of unit price

In addition to the module itself, the budget table should also include the costs of compatible pilot losses, spare parts levels, and warehouse management. In short-distance scenes inside cabinets, it is generally not necessary to apply optical modules.25G DAC high speed cable and 100G DAC high speed cableSave more, and the saved budget can be reserved for the light path between buildings and the pilot cycle.

Change quickly in small steps, leaving the remainder for the next batch

A common practice in the industry is to first solidify 100G uplinks and wiring in this batch, while reserving cabinet space, power, and cable rack space for 400G; in the next batch, the capacity will be expanded in small steps based on actual business growth. The EB-LINK spot pool covers 100G, 25G and 10G multi-speed. All optical modules can be coded according to the switch brand. Equivalent replacement comparisons can be obtained by calling 0755-83179002. By dividing the budget into verifiable actions, the pace of evolution will not become inventory pressure.