SFP28 carries one 25G lane in the same shell as SFP and SFP+, which is why the 10G-to-25G migration is mostly an optics-and-adapters project rather than a recabling project: the fiber plant, the connectors and even the cage stay, the endpoints change. GRT 25G SFP28 transceivers serve the F2502E-OCP mezzanine card and the wider 25G adapter tier, in single-mode and multimode variants.
A practical note for mixed fleets: SFP28 cages accept SFP+ modules, so a 25G card can light a 10G link during a staged migration — but an SFP+ cage will not run an SFP28 module at 25G. Plan the switch side first; our team will confirm module behaviour against your platform list.
Where 25G optics land
- Server uplinks in 25G fabrics (one module per port)
- Breakout tails from 100G QSFP28 spine ports
- Storage and vMotion networks in virtualised clusters
Do I need new fiber for 25G?
Usually not. Multimode runs that carried 10G typically carry 25G at shorter reaches; single-mode plant carries over entirely. We will check your distances.
SFP28 or DAC for 25G?
Inside the rack, DAC/AOC assemblies compete strongly. Beyond a few metres, SFP28 optics are the answer.