Nokia Siemens Networks raises hand for XO Communications 40G deployment

APRIL 1, 2010 By Stephen Hardy -- That announcement earlier this week XO Communications made about a nationwide 40-Gbps rollout? That’s with us, says Nokia Siemens Networks. But they’re not saying which format those 40G capabilities will use.

The systems vendor reports XO communications has signed a multi-year agreement for provision of the Nokia Siemens Networks hiT 7300 DWDM platform, complete with the company’s Transport Network Management System for centralized control and supervision. Nokia Siemens Networks also will provide services “for network implementation and care.”

”Nokia Siemens Networks’ 40G DWDM solution is optimized for the increased bandwidth and faster connectivity needs of today’s networks. The hiT 7300 platform provides a smooth evolution path to 100G, the next step in optical transport technology and the next step for the XO network,” said Randy Nicklas, CTO, XO Communications, in a quote Nokia Siemens Networks offered to explain the rationale for the equipment purchase.

However, while Nokia Siemens Networks disclosed that its recently announced 40G deployment with Columbus Networks (see “Columbus Networks expands 40G DWDM network, adds capacity to handle demand”) leveraged its DPSK-enabled capabilities, it’s not saying what XO’s platforms will use. The question arises in light of the systems vendors’ announcement last week at OFC/NFOEC that it plans to leverage coherent detection technology, in the form of CP-QPSK modules from CoreOptics, in its hiT 7300.

According to the company’s PR agency, Nokia Siemens Networks’ lips are sealed at the request of XO. It also declined to discuss its overall rollout strategy for the coherent technology, just in case pesky journalists were capable of putting two and two together.

Visit XO Communications

Visit Nokia Siemens Networks