22 September 2003 London Lightwave Europe -- Marconi Corp today announced that it is to launch a new scalable WDM multi-haul, multi-service transmission platform.
Called the SmartPhotoniXTM Multihaul, it is the latest evolution of Marconi's SmartPhotoniX transmission technology. Marconi's staff will be available at the European Conference at ECOC 2003 this week in Rimini, Italy, to discuss the next-generation transmission product and the company's wider optical R&D programmes.
The multihaul platform was developed to reduce the total cost of ownership of WDM systems and to increase revenue opportunities for operators, enabling the provision of new carrier-class services and improve profitability from the edge of their networks to the core. It has also been developed to inter-work seamlessly with Marconi's MSH2Koptical Switch, providing a highly cost-effective, integrated core solution.
The company created the SmartPhotoniX Multihaul as a scaleable multi-haul, building-block platform capable of meeting any transmission network requirement with minimal up-front costs and considerably lower operational costs. It provides operators with a range of transmission spans, from the metropolitan scale up to ultra-long-haul distances of 4000km.
"In today's highly competitive market, service providers' needs are focused mainly on reducing operational and capital expenditure. As a consequence vendors of optical network equipment are reviewing their current product portfolios.
Marconi's new multi-haul platform is a cost-effective product evolution that will allow service providers to minimise operational expenditures and enhance network services," says Alejandra van de Roer, research Analyst at IDC's European Telecommunications and Networking.
"The basic philosophy is that by providing operators with a common WDM platform we can introduce flexibility in the provisioning of bandwidth while reducing the costs of spares, training and system proving costs," says Martin Harriman, chief marketing officer, Marconi Corp.
"The SmartPhotoniX Multihaul's modular and flexible architecture will be a cost-effective solution to meet current operator demands, as well as providing the foundation for future WDM needs."
The SmartPhotoniX Multihaul has been designed for simple installation, with "plug and play" features that reduce the time taken to provision new services. This improves the responsiveness of operators' networks to end-user needs, for example in lighting up additional wavelengths to satisfy bandwidth demand.
It integrates Marconi's extensive experience in Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) optical transmission and includes optical bypass technologies for traffic passing straight through a node, eliminating the need for costly signal regeneration.
Significantly, SmartPhotoniX Multihaul is based on Marconi's field-proven SmartPhotoniX technology, which has been deployed by operators worldwide. It includes fully integrated management functions, performed by Marconi's ServiceOn Optical network management system.
ECOC is Europe's largest dedicated optical networking conference of 2003. This year, it runs alongside the biennial International Conference on Integrated Optics and Optical Fibre Communication) (IOOC), an important international event in the optical networks sector.
The conferences comprise of presentations and exhibitions aimed at a technical audience, including researchers, network architects, designers and engineers drawn from component suppliers, vendors, operators and other service providers, as well as the press, analysts and investors.
To find out more about the conference programme, visit the ECOC website www.ecoc.it
The single platform architecture will result in reduced capital and operating expenditure by network operators.
Marconi Corp.
Marconi Corporation plc is a global telecommunications equipment, services and solutions company. The company's core business is the provision of innovative and reliable optical networks, broadband routing and switching and broadband access technologies and services. The company's customer base includes many of the world's largest telecommunications operators.
The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol MONI. Additional information about Marconi Corporation can be found at www.marconi.com.