Wavelength Division Multiplexing

Alca-Lu announces new metro WDM switch

Dan O'Shea — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:06:22 -0400

Alcatel-Lucent has announced a new metro wavelength division multiplexing platform with the catchy marketing slogan that it offers "Zero-Touch Photonics," which refers to its automated provisioning capabilities. The new 1830 Photonic Service Switch 32 integrates tunable, reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer and wavelength tracking capabilities that previously had been in separate platforms.

Network equipment manufacturers have been in a mode of integrating platform capabilities where possible to try to gain an edge with carrier clients. Alcatel-Lucent, trying to come back from several tough quarters, certainly could use an edge.

The Zero-Touch Photonics aspect means that carriers use the switch provision and manage WDM ROADM networks without the truck rolls increase in operational expenses. The vendor says it already has a Tier 1 customer that it did not identify.

For more:
- Light Reading Europe has the story

France Telecom eyes WDM-PON via SARDANA test

Dan O'Shea — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:08:15 -0400

France Telecom confirmed at the European Conference on Optical Communications that it is involved in the ongoing Scalable Advance Ring-Based Passive Dense Access Network Architecture... wait for it... trial. The so-called SARDANA group, which also involves Tellabs, Intracom Holding and other technology researchers, is testing wavelength division multiplexing-passive optical networking (WDM-PON) technology at Tellabs facilities in Europe.

Information from the SARDANA trial will be funneled into the WDM-PON standards discussion, but France Telecom also obviously is trying to evaluate WDM-PON for its own uses, and, in the ECOC presentation, the company indicated it sees the potential for future cost savings through WDM-PON deployment. Some companies have questioned the near-term readiness of WDM-PON and the need for it, but France Telecom's endorsement and other WDM-PON technology announcements at ECOC by ZTE, Applied Optoelectronics, ADC Telecommunications and others are strengthening support for one of the most-talked-about technologies of the last year.

For more:
- read this story at Light Reading Europe

10G GPON may challenge WDM-PON

Dan O'Shea — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:19:23 -0400

What's the next PON? It may be GPON to network operators who have not even deployed gigabit passive optical network yet (and we're talking about most network operators). However, for technology speculators, it is never too early to start placing bets on the next, next big thing. For many companies, wavelength division multiplexing-PON (WDM-PON) is the next PON they are thinking about. But, Alcatel-Lucent, who has been a WDM-PON doubter in the past, argues that 10 Gbps GPON presents natural progression for GPON-bound carriers that will be less expensive than WDM-PON.

Meanwhile, Nortel Networks recent placed a marker on WDM-PON when its venture with LG acquired WDM-PON pioneer Novera Optics. What do you think? WDM-PON? 10G GPON? Still too busy with broadband PON or GPON to think about it? That's fine. We have a lot of time to let this particular debate unfold.

For more:
- see this report at Light Reading

Related articles:
Alcatel-Lucent is a known WDM-PON doubter. Alcatel-Lucent report
LG-Nortel recently acquired Novera Optics. LG-Nortel report

Sprint wireline strong amid other woes

Dan O'Shea — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:24:56 -0400

Sprint Nextel posted a $344 million net loss and ongoing wireless customer churn as part of its second quarter earnings, but wireline IP continued to be a bright spot for the otherwise troubled company. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said during the company's earnings call that growth in IP services and reduced operating expenses bolstered the wireline unit, with demand for global MPLS ports in particular 60 percent higher than the same period last year.

Sprint has busied itself with migrating more legacy traffic to IP infrastructure, also leading to higher growth margins. The company recently committed to deploy 40 Gbps IP over dense wavelength division multiplexing technology from Cisco Systems. Such advances also improve Sprint capabilities for handling increasing wireless data and video traffic on its wireline network.

Hesse said wireline capital investment was up about 5 percent during the first half of this year, but the spending for the entire year would likely end up below last year.

For more:
- check out the earnings transcript at Seeking Alpha

Related articles:
Sprint is launching femotcells nationwide. Sprint report
Sprint recently looked to Cisco for IPoDWDM. Sprint report

Cisco upgrades IPoDWDM, lands Sprint deployment

Dan O'Shea — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:05:28 -0400

Cisco Systems announced enhancements to its much-debated IP-over-dense wavelength division multiplexing technology, and also landed another major carrier customer--Sprint--for a 40 Gbps CRS-1 IPoDWDM deployment. The improvements to the IPoDWDM modules include, according to a story at Network World, a doubling of reach in a 40 Gbps CRS-1 deployment to about 1,250 miles without regeneration; the extension of IPoDWDM to Cisco's XR 12000 and 12000 routers with a new 10 Gigabit Ethernet shared port adapter; the addition of a reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer to reduce provisioning on the Cisco ONS 15454 optical transport platform; the re-setting of failover benchmarks to 15 milliseconds; and the enabling of direct management of optics integrated into the router.

Meanwhile, Sprint becomes Cisco's second major CRS-1 IPoDWDM customer for a 40 Gbps project. Cable TV giant Comcast was the first. The enhancements, in particular the 15 ms. faliover--more than three times faster than the industry standard of 50 ms.--might help Cisco's cause with other carriers.

For more:
- see this story at Network World
- read this story at Telephony

Related articles:
Cisco unveiled the Nexus 7000 platform earlier this year. Cisco report
Cisco CTO Padmasree Warrior has been busy prioritizing. Cisco report

NSN announces multi-talented WDM platform

Dan O'Shea — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:41:24 -0400

It has been assumed for years that having fewer boxes in their networks is a high priority for carriers. Yet, that probably has not stopped them from deploying new, additional gear with additional capabilities if and when they felt they could not wait for a more integrated version. Nokia Siemens Networks just announced a wavelength division multiplexing platform capable of metro, regional, long-haul and ultra-long-haul transmission, dense WDM and coarse WDM and a multitude of other features. Will carriers go for such an integrated platform?

The most notable feature is ULH transmission, a capability for which carrier demand has been increasing, but one that usually is not packaged in the same platform as the other distance capabilities.

For more:
- check out this coverage at Light Reading Europe

Related articles:
WDM sales recently leapt past SONET WDM report
WDM vendor Xtera acquired Meriton earlier this year WDM report