Tropic Networks, a start-up based in Ottawa, Canada, has added reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (R-OADM) capabilities to its TRX-24000 metro DWDM platform. The new capability gives service providers any-wavelength-at-any-node reconfigurability with zero service disruption. Tropic said its Open Photonic Layer approach to metro-regional optical networking enables interworking with the existing installed equipment base. In addition to R-OADM capability, the Tropic platform features a Wavelength Tracker technology and the ability to transparently re-use wavelengths from third party sources (virtually eliminating O-E-O conversions).
http://www.tropicnetworks.com/
- In February 2003, Tropic Networks closed US$20 million in third round funding to support is metro DWDM solutions. The company has recently streamlined its business strategy to focus on the metro optical market. Five existing investment firms participated in the company's third round of financing -- Celtic House Venture Partners (lead investor), Goldman Sachs' Private Equity Group, Kodiak Venture Partners, Crescendo Ventures and the Teachers' Merchant Bank, the private equity arm of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.
Tropic's TRX-24000 platform, which was introduced in October 2002, takes ITU grid wavelengths from an existing SONET/SDH ADM, switch or router and transports it across multiple rings while staying in the optical domain. The platform has a range of 600 km. Tropic also features a Wavelength Tracker technology that monitors and provides failure detection functionality to manage the signal as it travels throughout the network.
