OC-12/STM-4 capabilities now part of Smart SFP transceiver line

OE Solutions and AimValley say they have added a new member to the TSoP Smart SFP optical transceiver family that supports OC-12/STM-4 in addition to OC-3/STM-1 over Gigabit Ethernet.

The TSoP Smart SFP is designed to support efficient and cost-effective transport of SONET/SDH signals on CWDM or DWDM networks, without the need to sacrifice wavelengths. Conventionally, network operators have had to install dedicated multi-rate transponder cards to transport OC-3/STM-1 or OC-12/STM-4 signals over a desired wavelength. This practice not only requires a free system slot, but also occupies an entire wavelength on the WDM transport network.

OE Solutions and AimValley say the TSoP Smart SFP offers a more efficient alternative. The TSoP module is inserted in a GbE SFP port on a switched Ethernet muxponder card in a WDM system. The TSoP SFP converts the SONET/SDH signal to a packet stream that is sent across a WDM or packet network to a second TSoP SFP at the other end. Because TSoP uses the Ethernet layer for transport it does not consume an end-to-end wavelength and can benefit from Ethernet switching instead of ROADM-based wavelength switching for protection or rerouting.

The SFP-based TSoP technology therefore enables operators to migrate and integrate their SONET/SDH transport network into a single-technology packet network for such applications as Carrier Ethernet and mobile backhaul. AimValley has published an IETF draft standard, describing the Transparent SONET/SDH over Packet (TSoP) technology.

"The TSoP Smart SFP™ processes the SONET/SDH signal with full transparency, maintaining payload structure, protection protocols, and synchronization end-to-end; this simplifies the configuration and service turn-up of SONET/SDH connections across a packet network," says Pieter de Boer, managing director at AimValley. "The integration of TSoP into an SFP greatly reduces system and network complexity, and offers lower carbon footprint while generating capex and opex savings."

The TSoP Smart SFP™ is available with OC-12/STM-4 or OC-3/STM-1 optical interface per ITU-T and GR-CORE specifications and supports optical reaches up to 80 km over the industrial temperature range, i.e., -40 to +85°C.

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