JUNE 10, 2008 -- Calix (search for Calix) today announced a new addition to its access portfolio that expands Ethernet services capacity over both fiber and copper networks. The Calix E5-400 meets growing network traffic demands by adding carrier-grade 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) and multiple Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) aggregation and transport capabilities to the Calix unified access infrastructure.
Part of the Calix E-Series Multiservice over Ethernet product family, the Calix E5-400 allows service providers to address their bandwidth challenges head-on, say company representatives:
• The E5-400 provides standards-based, redundant, non-proprietary 10-GbE, NxGbE, and GbE transport and aggregation across the access network.
• It delivers ultra-high-capacity IP services support over fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) and last-mile copper infrastructure.
• Service providers can deploy the E5-400 with other E-Series products and the Calix C7 to create a comprehensive unified access infrastructure that supports advanced Ethernet services as well as legacy services such as POTS, Specials, DS-3, and OC-3/12/48 SONET.
• A hardened, 1-RU form factor enables flexible deployment from the CO to the network edge.
• The E-400 is fully managed via the Calix Management System (CMS), which, in turn, provides a single network view and a common user experience independent of media type, protocol, or service.
"Service providers need to address the growing capacity challenges posed by advanced IP services with carrier-grade, highly reliable, high-bandwidth solutions for business and residential customers," explains Frank Wiener, vice president of product development at Calix. "The E5-400 combines the flexibility of a compact and hardened form factor, the capacity of 10 GbE, and alignment with industry standards to deliver the first widely deployable 10-GbE transport and aggregation solution for the access network."
The Calix E5-400 addresses major trends pushing higher bandwidth requirements in the access network, such as an increasingly connected consumer lifestyle and skyrocketing rates of content exchange and consumption. As competition grows, service providers need to quickly bring to market an increasing array of advanced IP services while lowering capital and operational expenses. To keep up with these demands, service providers need equipment that will enable higher-bandwidth services, simpler management, and new revenue sources.
"Network traffic is growing dramatically due to fundamental shifts in how consumers and businesses are finding, accessing, and sharing content," asserts Matt Davis, program director of consumer multiplay services at IDC. "To address this growth, service providers need solutions that have the raw capacity to reliably handle and manage the volume of traffic, plus the flexibility to be deployed effectively and efficiently wherever they're needed. The ability to snap into existing network infrastructure will be a key driver in the wide deployment of these solutions, and service providers will clearly favor adherence to standards," he says.
According to the company, the flexible, secure, scalable, and environmentally hardened Calix E5-400 platform includes the following features and benefits:
• Its compact 1-RU form factor provides greater flexibility, enabling deployment in the field or the CO. For last-mile delivery, providers can deploy the Calix E5-400 by dropping GbE services directly to the business or home.
• New layers of protection include enhancements to ITU G.8032 Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (Enhanced EAPS), IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning-Tree Protocol (RSTP), and IEEE 802.3ad link aggregation to ensure network flexibility and redundancy. Enhanced EAPS creates a fault-tolerant topology for VLANs that ensures highly available Ethernet switched rings. RSTP enables redundant links for automatic backup if an active link fails.
• With support for multiple SFP, XFP, and SFP+ ports and a robust switching fabric, the E5-400 provides flexibility, capacity, and redundancy across copper and fiber Ethernet interfaces.
The Calix E5-400 platform, which is in use in customer networks today, is available now on a limited basis. Calix expects it to be available generally in Q3 2008.
The E5-400 will be on display at NXTcomm '08 in Las Vegas, June 17-19, at Calix Booth # SU8010.
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