May 22, 2006 Paris -- Ekinops has unveiled its new 10-Gbit/sec transponder and protocol converter. The PM 1001 is the most recent addition to the Ekinops PM Series. The Ekinops PM Series is a multi-service aggregation and transport platform that enables carriers to aggregate and transport high-speed services onto a single wavelength at 10- or 2.5-Gbit/sec wire speeds. This TDM-based aggregation reduces the number of wavelengths on the network and, as a result, lowers the cost of deploying DWDM or CWDM networks, the company says.
Ekinops claims the new 10G LAN PHY to WAN PHY protocol converter is the first standalone, cost-effective platform for connecting 10-Gbit/sec LAN switches to 10-Gbit/sec SONET/SDH and DWDM networks. The 10-Gigabit Ethernet standard specifies two types of PHY (physical interface), LAN PHY and WAN PHY. 10G WAN PHY operates at a data rate compatible with SONET OC-192c and SDH STM-64, but 10G LAN PHY does not.
"Ekinops's 10G protocol converter enables direct connectivity of 10G LAN PHY equipment, such as 10-Gigabit Ethernet switches, to SONET/SDH networks," said Didier Bredy, CEO of Ekinops. "Converting 10G LAN PHY to WAN PHY allows service providers to use their installed base of SONET/SDH and DWDM networks for the transport of 10G Ethernet."
For carriers and their customers, this eliminates the need for expensive router interfaces and provides a cost-effective way to connect two separate 10-Gigabit Ethernet networks via the carrier's SONET/SDH or DWDM infrastructure. The protocol converter encapsulates 10-Gigabit Ethernet packets into SONET/SDH frames compatible with OC-192/STM-64 bit rates, which is a little less than 10 Gbits/sec.
"Today 10-Gigabit Ethernet is being widely deployed in education and enterprise networks. Ekinops is helping carriers target those customers by offering a very cost-effective way of connecting 10-gigabit LANs directly into carriers' core networks," added Bredy.
In addition to converting 10-Gbit/sec protocols, the Ekinops PM1001 is a DWDM transponder for any 10-Gbit/sec protocol ranging from 9.95 to 10.709 Gbits/sec. With its embedded forward-error correction (FEC) technology, it can transport 10-Gbit/sec data over longer distances without the need for repeaters.