21 November 2002 -- Exfo, Quebec, Canada, has launch the FTB-9310 Channel Selector for commissioning and lighting channels in DWDM networks.
The instrument allows network operators to select and isolate - with insertion loss levels at 4dB - any ITU DWDM channel in the C-Band for bit-error-rate testing and protocol-layer analysis.
"The Channel Selector is designed for commissioning and lighting new channels because it enables non-intrusive, low-loss and high-isolation channel filtering," said Sami Yazdi, President of Exfo Protocol, a subsidiary of Exfo. "These features mean that the FTB-400 is the most integrated all-in-one test platform available."
The FTB-9310 Channel Selector is intended to be used with the FTB-8000 SONET/SDH 2.5 or 10Gbit/s Tester for protocol-layer testing applications.
The Channel Selector and SONET/SDH Tester can also be combined with the FTB-5240B Optical Spectrum Analyzer to provide operators with a "one-stop" test solution.
Exfo has also developed the IQS-9310 Channel Selector for the system manufacturing market. System vendors can use the IQS-9310 for amplifier characterisation or bit-error-rate (BER) performance testing of long-haul and metro systems.
10,000 shippings of test sets
Exfo has also announced that it has now shipped well in excess of 10,000 modular test platforms to establish itself as the vendor of choice for customers seeking high-performance, cost-effective solutions.
The company has released several FTB and IQS/IQ test platforms over the years to meet the various market requirements of the optical networking life cycle including R&D, manufacturing, installation and maintenance and network monitoring.
Unlike stand-alone units, the new test modules can be rapidly developed to meet changing industry needs. As customer requirements evolve, they can purchase additional test modules that are compatible with their original platforms.
"This latest milestone demonstrates how widely entrenched our field-testing and manufacturing platforms have become in the fibre-optic test and measurement industry," said Germain Lamonde, Chairman, President and CEO of Exfo. "We have created a paradigm shift in optical testing that is so appreciated by our customers that many of our competitors have been forced to follow suit."