Scientific-Atlanta and Tropic Networks were selected to provide Time Warner Cable's Portland, Maine division with reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) transport nodes for its core DWDM network and related support services. ROADMS enable the operator to quickly and remotely modify network topology to optimize bandwidth use. Time Warner Cable expects to rollout its first fully managed and fully reconfigurable network in Portland during Q2. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Time Warner Cable Portland will be using Tropic's WT-24000 optical transport platform, TROPX software suite and Wavelength Tracker, advanced optical layer management technology. The managed ROADM solution will provide Time Warner with dual homing master head-end protection for a protected VOD network designed to deliver uninterrupted service to its customers. In addition, the new architecture will support Time Warner's existing commercial services. The WT-24000's flexible architecture further provides Time Warner with the ability to create a fully converged network infrastructure as new services can be deployed onto this platform as they become available.
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- Last month, Tropic Networks announced a partnership under which Scientific-Atlanta will resell and support its intelligent wavelength transport platform to cable operators. Under the terms of the OEM agreement, Scientific-Atlanta will have sales, distribution and support rights for the Tropic-developed family of intelligent optical transport products for the MSO market.
- Tropic Networks, which is based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, developed a Reconfigurable OADM (ROADM) that enables service providers to remotely reconfigure add and drop capacity at each node. Tropic's system features an advanced optical layer management technology called "Wavelength Tracker".
- In July 2004, Alcatel made an equity investment in Tropic Networks, a start-up offering metro-area optical networking gear. In addition to the financial investment, Alcatel also entered into a global agreement to market and distribute Tropic Networks products and technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.
- Tropic Networks was founded in May 2000 by Kevin Rankin, formerly co-founder of the Broadband Copper Access division at Newbridge Networks; Dr. Dan Oprea, former senior architect at Nortel Networks and Mitel; Dave Coomber, former assistant VP of xDSL at Newbridge Networks; and Ben Bacque, co-founder of the Broadband Copper Access division at Newbridge Networks.
