Fujitsu's new metro DWDM platform supports convergence of telecom and cable TV networks
12 May 2003 Philadelphia, PA Lightwave--Fujitsu Network Communications Inc., today announced availability of its FLASHWAVE 7500 metro DWDM system. The all-optical platform supports the convergence of telecommunications and cable television (CATV) networks. The system is being demonstrated at Cable-Tec Expo 2003 (Hall C, booth 523).
"Telecom and cable service providers face increased customer demand for a wide variety of new broadband services, such as high-speed Internet access, broadcast-quality video, video-on-demand plus next-generation business services, such as Gigabit Ethernet," says George Chase, group president and chief operating officer for Fujitsu Network Communications. "The only way to deliver these services has been to construct separate overlay networks for each service type--resulting in unnecessary equipment, facilities and operational headaches. The carrier-grade FLASHWAVE 7500 platform allows entire networks to be converged onto individual wavelengths to create a seamless core network with 'five-nines' reliability. With a single unified network, service providers can significantly drive down the cost to provide broadband services and deliver dramatic improvements in profits and customer satisfaction."
The DWDM platform supports telecommunications and cable television services, as well as storage area network (SAN) data protocols up to 10 Gbits/sec per wavelength. Multi-rate line cards with tunable narrowband optics ensure existing and future services from 100 Mbits/sec to 2.5 Gbits/sec, including SONET, Ethernet and broadcast video, can be carried transparently across the network. Integrated "muxponders" provide multiplexing of sub-rate signals such as OC-48 (4:1) or Gigabit Ethernet (8:1) into digitally wrapped 10-Gbit/sec wavelengths. Direct wavelength interconnection with DWDM transmitters on the platform allow direct access to the switching core to open up a wide variety of new service interfaces from DS-1 to DVB-ASI and eliminate the need for transponders.
The FLASHWAVE 7500 platform supports networks with up to 10 nodes across 400 km and 40 C-band wavelengths, with the flexibility to add or drop any channel at any node to leave no stranded bandwidth. As service patterns change, the system actively monitors the power levels on each of its optical channels, automatically adjusting and tuning itself as wavelengths are added or deleted. This advanced self-tuning capability eliminates the need to dispatch technicians to manually adjust power levels at every node, allowing new services to be provisioned in minutes rather than weeks for faster revenue and more satisfied customers.
The metro DWDM platform is supported by the same NETSMART 1500 graphical element management system (EMS) that manages all Fujitsu access, metro, and long haul products. With tools for real-time software, configuration, connection (SONET and wavelength), fault and task management, the EMS enables end-to-end management of a converged Fujitsu transport network.