Salira Optical Network Systems, a provider of optical access systems, announced its first customer shipment of the Salira 2000 platform to US Signal, a debt-free regional carrier providing broadband services to business customers in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
The Salira 2000 Platform is an intelligent Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) platform for fiber-to-the-business (FTTB) that combines support for native-mode TDM services and standards-based IP services. Following extensive testing at the company's facilities, US Signal is deploying the Salira 2000 Platform in its network to connect customers to the fiber-optic transport that it has deployed and lit throughout the region.
"Our approach to serving business customers is to identify a need and then profitably fulfill that need," said Barry Raterink, president of US Signal. "We have an extensive long-haul network and a dense metro presence. We're looking for ways to cost-effectively connect customers to that transport capacity. Salira's systems deliver the right set of economics in the access portion of the network."
US Signal began the successful lab trial of the Salira 2000 platform in May 2002 before the product was introduced at SuperComm in Atlanta in June 2002. The Salira 2000 platform consists of the Salira 2500, a high port-density optical line terminal, and the Salira 2300, a multi-customer optical network unit. The Salira Access Management (SAM) system combines service creation, EMS, and subscriber management in one integrated software suite. The platform leverages Ethernet's simplicity and scalability to reduce the cost of provisioning broadband services to business customers, while providing the bandwidth capacity only available with fiber-based transport.
Salira also announced that the company has fully completed all testing required to achieve Network Equipment Building Specification (NEBS) certification for the Salira 2000 Platform. Following rigorous testing by MET Laboratories, a nationally-recognized testing laboratory, the platform successfully completed all NEBS requirements for safety and environmental performance. The Salira 2500, the platform's central office-based equipment, is NEBS Level 3 compliant, meaning that it carries the highest assurance of product operability and ensures minimal service interruptions. The Salira 2300, the platform's customer premises-based equipment, is NEBS Level 1 compliant. This certification ensures that the device will not degrade a service provider's network facility or endanger personnel. NEBS certification is an exacting test process that is designed to guarantee service providers the highest levels of equipment performance and reliability. The certification process includes resiliency testing in such areas as EMI/EMC, temperature, humidity, altitude, fire, earthquake, vibration, lightning surge, and power fault.
Based on NEBS certification, Salira declared "general availability" of the Salira 2000 platform to the domestic and international service provider community.
For more information about Salira (Santa Clara, CA), visit the company's website at www.salira.com. For more information about US Signal, visit www.ussignalcom.com.