May 27, 2004 Campbell, CA -- StrataLight Communications has announced that its 40-Gbit optical transport equipment was used during Cisco System's CSR-1 product unveiling event on May 25th at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. A 40-Gbit/sec Internet Protocol (IP) link interconnected two Cisco CRS-1 core routers over MCI fiber, demonstrating what the carrier claims is the fastest ever inter-city IP transmission. StrataLight's equipment provided the 40-Gbit/sec optical link between two of the new Cisco routers.
In the IP network demonstration, two of Cisco's new CRS-1 core routers were located within MCI Points of Presence (PoPs) in San Francisco and San Jose. The routers, both equipped with short-reach 40-Gbit/sec OC-768c optical client interfaces, were interconnected over MCI fiber facilities using StrataLight OTS-4000 Optical Terminal Subsystems in conjunction with the Cisco ONS 15454 SONET MultiService Transport Platforms, which provided optical amplification.
StrataLight's OTS-4000 provided the full-duplex 40-Gbit/sec OC-768c optical connection, utilizing a single wavelength in each direction.
"This demonstration proved the ease of scalability of existing core optical networks with minimal capital outlay," contends Terry Smith, CEO of StrataLight. "The OTS-4000 provides a 40-Gbit/sec upgrade for 10-Gbit/sec core networks, making it easier for carriers to take full advantage of Cisco's CRS-1 with its OC-768c interfaces, in preparation for converged applications such as video and voice over IP."
According to the company, the StrataLight OTS-4000 is the industry's first 40-Gbit/sec optical transport capability that allows 40-Gbit/sec optical signals to be retrofit into 10-Gbit/sec optical channels. StrataLight has developed proprietary lightwave modulation technology that narrows the spectral width of 40-Gbit/sec signals so that they are interchangeable with 10-Gbit/sec signals on existing fiber transport systems. This allows the upgrade of core network capacity, directly improving the economics of carrier's long haul, regional, and metro networks. StrataLight has not announced its OEM partners at the time of this release.