DECEMBER 3, 2008 -- Nortel (search for Nortel) today announced 40G contracts with two North American operators, U.S.-based cable TV operator Mediacom Communications and Canadian carrier TELUS.
Mediacom Communications says it has selected Nortel's 40G optical technology to expand its network and meet increasing bandwidth demands. The new network will run across Chicago, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; and Omaha, Nebraska, delivering telephone, high-speed Internet, and TV services--including high-bandwidth applications like HDTV and Video on Demand (VoD).
With more and more TV shows being offered in HD and consumers becoming increasingly accustomed to watching what they want, when they want, services like HDTV and VoD are becoming a 'must have' in many households. These services vastly increase the amount of bandwidth required from the network, with HD video alone using five to nine times more bandwidth than standard digital video, putting pressure on operators to expand or upgrade their networks to meet the demand. Nortel says its 40G system will provide Mediacom with the network capacity to deliver these services, as well as Internet and phone services.
"At Mediacom, our customers count on us to bring them the latest communications and entertainment services," notes JR Walden, senior vice president of technology at Mediacom. "Nortel's 40G solution ensures we'll have the capability to keep delivering even as demand continues to grow and drive up our bandwidth needs. With four times the capacity of a 10G solution and a cost-effective deployment scenario, Nortel's 40G solution demonstrates our continued commitment to bringing the latest technology to the communities we serve," he contends.
"HD is transforming user experience, whether it's on TV or the Internet, putting incredible bandwidth pressure on networks to give consumers the high-quality viewing experience they expect," adds Philippe Morin, president of Metro Ethernet Networks, Nortel. "Nortel's 40G solution allows service providers to add the capacity to support high-bandwidth demands on their networks without complex re-engineering. We were able to offer Mediacom all the benefits of a 10G solution in terms of reach and performance without all the extra equipment add-ons of alternate solutions," he explains. "This makes Nortel's 40G solution a simple and cost-effective way to add bandwidth today and prepare for even higher bandwidth needs in the future with a path to 100G."
According to Nortel representatives, its 40G/100G Adaptive Optical Engine is a plug, play, and evolve technology that is deployable over any fiber. It allows operators to reduce engineering, eliminate equipment, and upgrade quickly and cost-effectively from 10G to 40G --and ultimately, all the way to 100G. Using Nortel 40G system, Mediacom says it was able to reduce the number of amplifier sites required along the 470-mile (755-km) route from Chicago to Omaha, thereby simplifying and reducing the overall cost of the network expansion.
The Mediacom network consists of the Optical Multiservice Edge 6500 equipped with 40G optics and the Common Photonic Layer line system. Nortel is also providing engineering, installation, test, and turn-up services for Mediacom.
TELUS deployment
Nortel also announced today that Canadian carrier TELUS will deploy its 40G optical system.
"40G deployment will allow TELUS to add capacity to our existing fiber-optic network, helping us maximize use of that asset to the benefit of our customers and shareholders," reports Dave Keegstra, director of technology strategy at TELUS.
The foundation of Nortel's 40G Adaptive Optical Engine lies in the company's breakthrough technology that provides four times the capacity of today's 10G networks while keeping the same performance characteristics, say company representatives. This system includes several technology firsts, including Dual Polarization Quadrature Phase Shift Keying with coherent detection, which allows 40G operation over a 10G network. Another technology first, advanced digital signal processing, removes all compensation requirements from the network, along with their associated capital and operational expenditures. Nortel says this makes its system simpler and more cost-effective than other approaches that require costly equipment that can carry the information light signals less than half the distance of the Nortel equipment.
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