11 October 2003 Petah Tikva, Israel -- ECI Telecom's Optical Networking Division has announced a new ATS module, an ATM card housed in the XDM multi-service optical platform.
This latest upgrade to the XDM is designed to support cellular carriers in the migration towards 3G services by allowing a seamless transition from TDM based traffic to ATM, without requiring massive investment in Radio Access Network (RAN) infrastructure.
The XDM is a hybrid platform that converges intelligent metro DWDM optical networking capabilities, multiple SDH/SONET rings, Digital Cross Connects (DXC), carrier-class Gigabit Ethernet and on-demand network provisioning within a single device.
It will now include, through simple in-service card insertion, ATM aggregation of large numbers of E1 traffic streams. One of its primary functions will be to streamline the transmission of traffic between Node Bs and RNCs (Radio Network Controller) at the access layer within cellular networks.
The traditional approach to achieving traffic efficiency and bandwidth utilisation at the RAN, as well as the conversion to un-channelled STM-1 I/F (prior to connection to the RNC), was through the introduction of external ATM switches.
The result was unnecessary expenditure in new equipment and high investments in management integration. The ATM-enabled XDM promises seamless traffic aggregation between Node Bs and RNCs, together with greatly increased bandwidth capabilities, which is particularly crucial in situations where cellular operators are leasing capacity.
"The ATM-enabled XDM is one of the first such systems in the world to be able to combine SDH and ATM transmissions within a single platform," said Ido Gur, VP of sales and marketing for ECI Telecom's Optical Networking Division.
"By offering integration of SDH and ATM in the same hardware, fully optimised for 3G access, the ATS Card is not only more economical than any other solution on the market today, but provides flexibility and scalability for future expansion in network coverage and capacity."
"The cellular communications industry has always been a key market for us, and in the current climate, our aim is to provide a solution that offers reduced complexity, lowers leased-line tariffs and brings unrivalled cost flexibility for the cellular operators.
Network planning should not be viewed as expenditure, but rather as a means to generating revenues, and as such, our designs accommodate for the demands of all users, whilst maximising ROI. In other words, our goal is to provide optimum design at minimum cost."
ECI Telecom's Optical Networking Division anticipates that cellular carriers will be able to achieve ROI within the six months to one-year time frame through strategic implementation of the new ATM-enabled XDM optical platform.
This will hold strong appeal for newcomers to 3G in particular, as it will reduce costs associated with introducing new services, both in terms of initial capital expenditure and ongoing operational costs.