Appian Unveils EFM Termination Unit, Partnership with ADC

Appian Communications introduced a new Services Termination Unit (STU) that serves as a managed customer/carrier demarcation device for offering Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and native TDM services to small and medium-sized companies. Appian also disclosed a multiyear, non-exclusive partnership under which ADC will resell Appian's full metro access product line to cable network operators worldwide, representing a new market segment for the company. Appian's metro access solution will be matched with ADC's Cuda 12000 IP Access Switch, Cuda 1000 CMTS and FastFlow Broadband Provisioning Manager to enable cable operators to deliver voice and Ethernet services to business customers.


The new STU is a fully-managed, Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) product aimed at TDM to Ethernet migration. Circuit emulation is provided for TDM services. Optional, redundant Gigabit Ethernet uplinks with full support for IEEE 802.3ah Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) OAM&P provide resiliency and availability. CWDM options are available, which would enable carriers to deploy multiple STUs served by different wavelengths along a common fiber route. The company said its new STU could bring the cost of extending Ethernet services to a multi-customer location to under $5,000. Appian is also introducing new software and hardware for supporting the aggregation and grooming of STU-delivered services onto a provider's existing SONET/SDH and/or IP services backbone using its flagship, RPR-enabled Optical Service Activation Platform (OSAP).http:/www.appiancom.com