March 21, 2006 Sunnyvale CA -- Telecom provider XO Communications (Reston, VA) has selected Infinera's DTN optical system for a "major network upgrade" expected to significantly expand the provider's network capacity while allowing it to offer a range of new services.
XO's 18,000-mile fiber-optic long haul network connects more than one million miles of metro fiber, serving 75 metropolitan areas across the U.S. The provider says it will deploy the Infinera DTN platform, based on the company's "Digital Optical Networks" architecture, in order to "double network capacity, speed service delivery, enable new service offerings in existing metropolitan areas, improve reliability, and ease network management."Â
"XO's transformation to digital fiber-optics will yield a quantum leap in the management and performance of our network," contends Randy Nicklas, vice president of engineering at XO Communications. "Rising market demand for high-capacity IP-based transport services requires faster response times to deliver capacity when and where customers need it. This major initiative optimizes the value of our network investment, and empowers XO to pursue new opportunities that will drive revenue."
Infinera's DTN platform is a DWDM-based optical system that incorporates the use of photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The company says that, as telecommunications system, the platform combines "the scalability of DWDM with the flexibility of digital switching and [the] power of GMPLS service intelligence."
According to Infinera, the platform's key features and capabilities include: a digital architecture and software intelligence to enable rapid deployment; "unconstrained add/drop" capabilities," allowing service providers to easily add or drop transport services at any node while avoiding restrictions "typical of ROADM-based" systems; and support for GMPLS routing "for automated creation of services across a network."Â
XO says it will use the platform to offer 2.5G and 10G wave services, OC-192 private line services, and Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), 10-GbE, and 40-GbE services. The provider will also have access to Infinera's "Just-In-TAM" program for service provisioning.
"The advanced features and functionality, as well as the superior economics of the Infinera DTN, based on large-scale photonic integration, will help XO gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace," remarks Jagdeep Singh, co-founder and CEO of Infinera.