July 22, 2004 Elkridge, MD, and Lowell, MA -- Optinel Systems, a privately held provider of optical Ethernet transport solutions for regional, metro, and access applications, and Mintera Corp., provider of next-generation 40-Gbit/sec fiber-optic transport equipment, have announced the successful interoperability of their products in demonstrating bandwidth scalability to 40 Gbit/sec per wavelength in a Gigabit Ethernet network.
The companies integrated Optinel's PLEXiS GX Series 10-Gbit/sec and CRYSTAL Network Management System with Mintera's MI 40000 Transport Solution, effectively creating bi-directional, high capacity fiber-optic links able to carry up to 40 Gbit/sec Ethernet traffic on a single wavelength over distances exceeding 180 km without any intermediate optical amplification.
"Optinel's PLEXiS platform is an ideal, proven solution for today's high-bandwidth network requirements, providing granular scalability from one to 10 Gbits/sec per wavelength." contends Irl Duling, chief scientist for Optinel Systems. "This successful 40-Gbit/sec interoperability demonstrates a reliable method to accommodate future growth on existing network infrastructures with minimal capital investment. The ability to offer service providers a cost-effective, rapidly-deployable pathway to additional capacity is key to managing ever-expanding network demands."
"Through this demonstration of next-generation optical transport with Optinel, we're able to show again that our equipment works seamlessly within existing networks," adds Terry Unter, Mintera president and chief executive officer. "The MI 40000, with its variety of client side interfaces, including 10-Gigabit Ethernet, will allow video service providers to gain a significant bandwidth boost from their installed infrastructure. This will facilitate the deployment of new, high bandwidth services, such as video-on-demand, without the need for major infrastructure investments," he says.
Optinel's PLEXiS suite of products economically supports less than one Gbit/sec to more than 400 Gbits/sec per fiber over distances of greater than 500 km. A variety of transmitter, receiver, and transceiver products provide 1, 2.5, or 10 Gbits/sec per wavelength of unidirectional or bidirectional capacity per wavelength, allowing a balance between high network capacity and granular scalability. A highly flexible optical platform, scalable to 44 wavelengths, supports a variety of network configurations, ranging from simple point-to-point links to fully-protected, multi-service ring or star topologies.
Mintera's MI 40000 carrier-class product family is unique in permitting service providers to deploy 40-Gbit/sec optical transport cost-effectively in a number of applications, including metro-core, regional, long-haul, and ultra long-haul. The self-managed system is designed to integrate rapidly and simply into existing network infrastructures, thus enabling a bandwidth boost to be obtained at the same time as facilitating the deployment of bandwidth-intensive services.