Ekinops introduces two flexible rate line modules to reduce optical transport costs

Dec. 5, 2017

Ekinops says it will offer two new flexible rate line modules that reduce optical transport costs, and enhance network flexibility andefficiency. Spanish wholesale operator Aire Networks is one of the first customers to deploy this new technology. The PM 200FRS02 and PM 200FRS02-SF modules are the most recent networking systems from Ekinops, and will enable service providers to minimize capital and operational costs, and maximize the business case for deploying new capacity, the company asserts.

The PM 200FRS02 and PM 200FRS02-SF modules are the most recent networking systems from Ekinops, and will enable service providers to minimize capital and operational costs, and maximize the business case for deploying new capacity, the company asserts. With the ability to fit up to 1.2 Tbps of capacity in two rack units, the new modules can offer operational savings. According to Ekinops, the modules' small form factor alsodiminishes space requirements, while using less than half the power per gigabit of offerings currently on the market.

Aire Networks, Spain's fourth largest wholesale operator, is using the Ekinops modules in its 27,000 km fiber-optic network that covers 90% of the nation. According to Ekinops, Aire Networks has seen its traffic double in the first three quarters of 2017. With plans to upgrade network operations, while keeping operational expenses low, Ekinops says it was able to meet the service provider's requirements for a technology that supplies 200G transmission in single fiber mode, and ensures future scalability.

The PM 200FRS02-SF offers service providers the opportunity to cut fiber costs in half by delivering single fiber operation. The PM 200FRS02 and PM 200FRS02-SF modules both utilize dual QSFP28 client ports with software-selectable line side modulation that can be provisioned as either DP-QPSK or 16QAM, creating100G or 200G transport links. The new modules deliver advanced functionality in one-third the space of previous equipment, to occupy one slot in an Ekinops 360 chassis, for three times the capacity per shelf.

Ekinops says an operator can choose the modulation format that meets its capacity and distance requirements, and by doing so the PM 200FRS02 and PM 200FRS02-SF can support any metro, regional or long-haul application, including converged metro transport, data center interconnection (DCI), mobile backhaul, enterprise connectivity, and submarine transport.

Ekinops is also adding to the modules' flexibility by introducing the PM 100G-AGG companion card for multiplexing up to ten 10G multiprotocol client services into a G.709 standard OTU4 that connects to one client port on the PM 200FRS02 or PM 200FRS02-SF. This modular approach enables the service provider to combine both 10G and 100G clients on one 200G link for improved resource utilization and bandwidth efficiency, and allows 10G services to be carried efficiently over 100G or 200G links, the company says.

For related articles, visit the Network Design Topic Center.

For more information on optical modules and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.