Sunday, March 21, 2010

AppliedMicro Debuts 10G/40G OTN Framer/PHY

AppliedMicro introduced a 10G/40G Optical Transport Network (OTN) framer/PHY System-On-a-Chip (SoC) for Carrier Ethernet router and WDM transport systems.


The PQX is AppliedMicro's third generation of OTN framer device with integrated high speed PHYs and Fractional-N clock synthesizers. The PQX provides I/O bandwidth at 240 Gbps at high performance and maintains compliance to various standards such as SONET/SDH, XFP/SFP+, and SFI5.1/CFP. Support includes 10G FC Trans-code, 40 GE Trans-code, G.709 AMP and GMP mapping, ODU3e2 support, XFI/SFI, SFI5.1, XLAUI, OTL3.4, and STL256.4. These interfaces are instrumental in allowing multiple network protocols to converge and be transported over a common optical network. The PQX also includes Tri-FEC support (Reed-Solomon, G.975.1- I.4 and G.975.1-1.7) to ensure interoperability among multiple system OEMs and network operators.


The new PQX integrated framer/PHY device, which packs over 100 million gates of digital logic, is implemented in 40nm CMOS process, enabling to achieve low power while providing up to 3 times higher capacity than existing OTN devices. In Carrier Ethernet applications, PQX consumes a typical power of less than 1.5W/10G port.


"As the Carrier Ethernet and OTN markets show promising signs of growth, AppliedMicro introduces the industry's highest-density 10G/40G multi-port OTN device to enable the development of next-generation Router and WDM platforms with a chip that offers high levels of integration at a cost and power envelope for each 10G port that is almost half of the previous generation of devices," said Sandeep Gupta, General Manager of the Transport and Connectivity Business Unit at AppliedMicro.
http://www.appliedmicro.com

Anritsu Upgrades Handheld Analyzers for LTE

Anritsu introduced LTE options for its MS2712E and MS2713E Spectrum Master handheld spectrum analyzers. These allow field engineers and technicians to conduct RF, modulation, and Over-the-Air (OTA) measurements on 10 MHz LTE signals during the deployment, installation, and operation of LTE networks.


Anritsu said its handheld analyzers now enable users to accurately and quickly validate the RF quality and performance of LTE signals. It can also help field technicians troubleshoot RF problems associated with LTE signals. With the LTE modulation quality measurement option, Error Vector Magnitude (EVM), frequency error, and Control Channel power tests can be conducted. When the Spectrum Master analyzers are equipped with the OTA option, users can validate the over-the-air performance of the complete eNode-B system, as well as troubleshoot problems with the LTE signal. The OTA option can also be used to verify/validate LTE signal coverage with the instruments' scanner functionality.
http://www.us.anritsu.comhttp://

Bharti Arranges US$8.3 billion for Acquisition of Zain Africa

Bharti Airtel has arranged for the entire US$8.3 billion in financing needed for its proposed acquisition of Zain's African unit (Zain Africa BV). The financing was oversubscribed, with major international banks committing to underwrite the total amount.
http://www.bharti.comhttp://

Vitesse Accelerates its Optical Solutions Portfolio

Vitesse Semiconductor announced a number of IC innovations spanning from the access to the core of next generation optical networks. Highlights include:

  • Enhanced Forward Error Correction (eFEC) technology for implementation in ASICs or FPGAs. Vitesse's proprietary Continuously Interleaved BCH (CI-BCH) eFEC code can be implemented in single FPGA form at 100G. The company calculates that compared to existing FEC solutions, its CI-BCH eFEC enables both 40G and 100G backbones to operate over 25-50% longer spans, respectively, with lower power, lower cost, and lower latency. Available for both FPGAs and ASICs, Vitesse's CI-BCH code is offered at 7% and 20% FEC overhead for 40G and 100G implementations, respectively.


  • A new 40G/100G Chipset for line cards, CXP, and CFP optical transceivers used in next-generation servers, routers, and OTN transport equipment. The new chipset supports packing Nx10G un-cooled DMLs of different wavelengths into a very compact area, critical for 40GBase-LR4, or ER4 or 10x10G PIC applications for 10km and 40km. It also extends optical links up to 120km without costly optical dispersion compensation, improving link margin in excess of 3dB. Additionally, the chipset meets and exceeds the 40 GbE and 100 GbE IEEE P802.3ba/D3.0 draft standard in areas such as optical stressed receiver sensitivity test and transmit jitter specifications. A reference design is also offered.


  • An FEC-Feedback-Enabled Quad EDC/CDR Signal Conditioner for Ethernet, SONET/SDH, and Fibre Channel. The single-chip device provides four simplex channels of Electronic Dispersion Compensation (EDC) and integrated Clock and Data Recovery (CDR) functions. Supporting speeds of 8.5 to 11.3 Gbps, the VSC8247 makes possible low-cost, multi-lane implementations of metro and long-haul 40G links while supporting optional feedback from a forward error correction (FEC) device. It also offers unique features, such as Vitesse's VScope embedded waveform viewing technology allowing remote diagnostics to observe and test 10G/40G/100G links while running traffic.


  • Expansion of its FTTx Ecosystem -- The newest members include FiberHome, Oplink and BroadLight. This Ecosystem is an industry forum for companies across the entire Passive Optical Network (PON) hardware spectrum to accelerate deployment of next-generation 10G-PON FTTx platforms.
http://www.vitesse.comhttp://

Ciena Unveils its Converged Optical Ethernet Portfolio

Following the completion of its acquisition of the optical networking and Carrier Ethernet assets of Nortel's Metro Ethernet Networks (MEN) business, Ciena outlined its new product portfolio for Converged Optical Ethernet.


Ciena said its product strategy will be framed around three key values: maximizing the capacity, scalability and reliability of customers' networks through optical technology; maximizing the flexibility, efficiency and economics of their networks through ubiquitous Ethernet technology; and uniting those capabilities with integrated control plane and management software.


The newly combined portfolio is focused on the following areas:

  • Packet-Optical Transport Products designed to expertly address metro, regional and long-haul needs. These platforms support channel rates of 10G, 40G and 100G, all of which are shipping commercially, and system scalability of tens of terabits per fiber while offering management and control plane interoperability with Ciena's switching platforms.


    Ciena's flagship solution in this product grouping is the Optical Multiservice Edge (OME) 6500, a metro and core optical platform that efficiently manages and transports converged TDM, OTN, packet and wavelength services. Ciena's CN 4200 FlexSelect Advanced Services Platform and Nortel's Optical Metro (OM) 5200 will continue to be utilized for select infrastructure builds, with CN 4200 primarily supporting managed services and enterprise applications as well as metro and regional deployments, and OM 5200 supporting metropolitan access, interoffice and private network applications. The Packet-Optical Transport group also includes other members of Nortel's OME 6000 series as well as the Common Photonic Layer (CPL) line system, which enables migration to a more agile, adaptive, all-optical network with its extensive ROADM capabilities.


  • Packet-Optical Switching Solutions supported by control plane and mesh networking capabilities.
    These systems utilize intelligent mesh networking to automate the provisioning and dynamic bandwidth control of high-capacity services. This product group includes Ciena's CoreDirector FS Multiservice Optical Switch and 5400 Family of Reconfigurable Switching Systems. The initial products of the 5400 family are the 5430 Reconfigurable Switching System, a 30-slot system with 3.6 Tbps of capacity and even higher degrees of scalability, and the 5410 Reconfigurable Switching System, a 10-slot system with 1.2 Tbps of capacity. The 5430 is currently in customer labs and will be generally available in the second calendar quarter of 2010.


  • Carrier Ethernet platforms including Service Aggregation Switches and Service Delivery Switches. This product group is comprised of Ciena's existing Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery (CESD) portfolio and is targeted at supporting 3G/4G wireless backhaul applications and enabling Carrier Ethernet business, transport and residential services. Ciena's CESD solutions leverage OAM, QoS, TDM over packet, and virtual switching capabilities to create low-touch, high-velocity access and metro networks.


  • Unified management and multi-layer control plane software. Ciena's network and service management solution for its entire portfolio will ultimately be the Ciena One software suite. In the short term, Ciena's Ethernet Services Manager and ON-Center Network Management Suite and Nortel's OMEA and Preside will continue to manage their respective products.


  • Support services. Ciena's services portfolio is comprised of implementation services; professional and NOC services; specialist solutions and software services; and repair and spares management services.
http://www.ciena.com
http://www.ciena.com/news/ciena_nortel.htm

Corning Fiber Carries 100G for 1,500km in 12 Spans

Corning has demonstrated the ability to carry 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps over longer fiber spans without using expensive regeneration.



The 100G system travels a distance of 1,500 km and consists of 12 spans, each 125 km. The configuration uses Corning's SMF-28 ULL optical fiber, the lowest attenuation ITU-T G.652-compliant fiber, and Ciena's 100G Adaptive Optical Engine, both of which are commercially available. The average fiber attenuation of each span is at or below 0.17 decibels of loss per kilometer (dB/km) at 1550 nanometers (nm). The ultra-low attenuation of SMF-28 ULL fiber enables 30-35 percent longer system reach compared to typical single-mode fibers.


At this week's OFC/NFOEC conference in San Diego, the companies will also demonstrate Ciena's newly developed 40G ultra long haul solution over an unregenerated distance of 3,100 km using Corning long-haul optical fibers. Ciena's 40G signal will be transmitted through 1,600 km of Corning's LEAF fiber and 1,500 km of SMF-28 ULL fiber, in a configuration representative of some of the most challenging long-distance network designs.


Finally, the companies will also demonstrate 100G performance over 800 km of Corning LEAF fiber, the most widely deployed non-zero dispersion shifted fiber. LEAF fiber has the lowest attenuation and largest effective area of any ITU-T G.655-compatible optical fiber, enabling 20-25 percent greater system reach compared to typical G.655 fiber. The average LEAF fiber attenuation of each span is at or below 0.190 dB/km at 1,550 nm.
http://www.corning.com/opticalfiber

OIF Approves 100G Transmitter Implementation Agreement

The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) approved an implementation agreement (IA) for the 100G Integrated Polarization Multiplexed (PM) Quadrature Modulated Transmitter.


The implementation agreement supports DP-QPSK as a modulation format as specified in the OIF's 100G Framework Document and also specifies operating rates up to 32GBd. However, the IA strives to remain modulation format and data rate agnostic to maximize applicability to other future applications.


"The transmitter IA is the first project completed from the Framework Document that defines one of the most complex components of the 100G DWDM transmission system," said Karl Gass of Sandia National Labs and the OIF's Physical Link and Layer Working Group vice chair. "The member companies are working together at this early stage in order to accelerate the adoption of 100G technology by defining common building blocks."


Other 100G projects outlined in the 100G Framework Document include an Integrated Photonics Receiver, a Transponder-Electromechanical MSA and a Forward Error Correction project.
http://www.oiforum.com

Vendors Showcase 100G at OFC/NFOEC

Infinera, Juniper, Finisar, Opnext are collaborating on a live demonstration of 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) interoperability at this week's OFC/NFOEC conference and exhibition in San Diego. The companies are showing the ability to pass 100 GigE traffic between a router and an optical transport system using two different CFP optical transceivers implementing the IEEE 802.3ba 100GBASE-LR4 draft standard.


The demonstration features a Juniper Networks T1600 Core Router and an Infinera DTN optical system exchanging 100 GigE traffic using 100 Gbps pluggable CFP optical transceiver modules from Finisar and Opnext. The 100 GigE signals are generated by test sets supplied by Exfo and Ixia. The demonstration also includes Reflex Photonics' 100GBASE-SR10 CFP modules.


The companies said the availability and interoperability of pluggable CFP modules from multiple vendors will be key to widespread deployment of 100 Gigabit Ethernet networking equipment such as routers, switches and optical transport gear.


The Infinera DTN 100 Gigabit Ethernet tributary interface module and the Juniper 100 Gigabit Ethernet physical interface card in this demonstration are the latest prototypes and are fully compliant with the most recent IEEE 802.3ba draft specification and CFP MSA.
http://www.juniper.nethttp://www.infinera.com

AT&T's New Triple Play -- Mobile, TV, Internet

AT&T announced a new $99 bundle that lets customers can choose three services for their bundle: TV, high speed Internet, home phone or wireless voice service -- an option not available in most cable bundles. Bundles can include DVR and DVR service, plus a one-year price guarantee and significant monthly savings.


"At AT&T, we know that customers want flexibility, value, great service plus the option to include wireless voice service as part of their bundles," said Joey Schultz, vice president of consumer marketing, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "We're introducing amazing bundle deals built around choice, and we're including more features and more savings. Whatever combination and plans you choose, customers are getting even more from their AT&T bundle."http://www.att.com

Aviat Networks to Resell E-Band's 70/80 GHz Backhaul

E-Band Communications Corporation, a developer of 70/80 GHz point-to-point wireless backhaul solutions, announced an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement under which Aviat Networks will market and support E-Band's radios worldwide. E-Band's flagship product is the E-Link 1000EXR, a full duplex fiber-equivalent speed Gigabit Ethernet point-to-point radio which provides +22 dBm of output power and extremely low latency (<5us).


Aviat's backhaul solutions now cover frequency ranges from 4 to 86 GHz.


E-Band Communications features a Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) technology originally designed for high-end military applications and now under exclusive field-of-use license from a major defense contractor. E-Band's investors include Avalon Ventures, Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Reliance ADA Group, ADC Telecommunications, Investec, Express Ventures, OpenAir Ventures and a top-three U.S. telecommunications carrier.
http://www.e-band.com
http://www.aviatnetworks.com

Insight Research: Telecom CAPEX to Hit $224 Billion by 2015

The Insight Research Corporation is predicting that cCapital expenditures (CAPEX) by telecommunications service providers will increase at a compounded rate of 2.4 percent, from $199.6 billion in 2010 to $224.5 billion in 2015.


"Telecommunications and Capital Investments 2010-2015: Looking Beyond the Financial Crisis" notes that CAPEX spending among fixed-line operators will continue to decline, but mobile operators in developing countries will continue increasing their capital outlays to meet the pent up demand for service. On the other hand, when mobile operator CAPEX spending in the developed countries does rebound, it will be sluggish.
http://www.insight-corp.com/reports/invest10.asp

NSN Ups Mobile Internet Traffic Offload

Nokia Siemens Networks unveiled an upgrade to its core mobile network technology that allows operators to offload Internet traffic at an optimal point in the network -- typically close to an Internet peering point -- in order to minimize the distance it is transmitted. This saves transport and traffic processing costs.


Traffic offload can be deployed across Nokia Siemens Networks' Flexi Network Gateway (NG) and as a software upgrade to the Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN). The Flexi NG and SGSN are key elements of Nokia Siemens Networks' evolved packet core (EPC). Traffic offload can be deployed in both distributed and centralized gateways in 2G, 3G or LTE networks. The first phase of traffic offload is already available.


As offloading takes place in the Flexi NG mobile gateway, it does not require additional network elements along the signalling and data paths. NSN said that where an operator has distributed Internet peering points, its Flexi NG can be deployed as a distributed gateway at each of these points to reduce transport network costs, while the SGSN intelligently selects which of the distributed mobile gateways is closest to the subscriber.


"Operators typically need to deploy relatively costly servers to process mobile data traffic, said Matti Palomaki, head of Packet Core product management at Nokia Siemens Networks."Our new approach allows a high volume of Internet traffic, or any operator-specified traffic, to bypass these processing servers and legacy packet core gateway nodes (GGSNs). In the era of smartphone-induced data growth, such"offloading" of traffic can deliver significant savings in next-generation HSPA and LTE networks."http://www.nsn.com

NSN Shows hiT 7300 Coherent 40G Transponder

Nokia Siemens Networks unveiled its hiT 7300 coherent 40G transponder for integration into the hiT 7300 DWDM platform, which has been deployed for more than 80 customers worldwide.



The company said its hiT 7300 coherent 40G transponder platform is easier to install than existing systems because it does not require the costly and time-consuming fiber measurement. In new deployments, operators can avoid even the need for dispersion compensating modules, leading to low-latency connections, simplified amplifier design and overall reductions in deployment costs and footprint.


In addition, the Nokia Siemens Networks transponder supports 40G transmission over older fiber -- dating back to the 1990s and earlier -- unlike existing systems. It utilizes the installed network infrastructure, thereby protecting the operator's investments by using"coherent transmission" technology, in particular a modulation format called CP-QPSK (coherent polarization multiplexed quadrature phase shift keying).
http://www.nsn.com