RED-C demos self-managed EDFA for ROADM applications

September 1, 2004 Tel-Aviv, Israel -- RED-C Optical Networks Ltd., provider of intelligent optical modules based on optical amplifier technology, today introduced a solution for the incorporation of reconfigurable optical add/ drop modules (ROADMs) in optical networks.

Sept. 1, 2004

2 min read

ROADMs allow a dynamic setting of the wavelengths (channels) to be dropped or loaded at each of the network's ports. A network-combining ROADM is capable of flexible wavelength allocation, enabling an immediate response to customers' demands and to fluctuating market demands. Inflexible channel allocation is now a thing of the past.

RED-C claims it has successfully eliminated ROADM disadvantages. Its solution:

• Eliminates high optical insertion loss, which negatively affects network OSNR.

• Does away with the need for a spectrum analyzer, optical channel monitor (OCM) unit and communication interface to close its spectral operation loop. Costs are reduced and network performance is improved.

With the RED-C solution, the smart EDFA becomes the heart of the optical network. RED-C's Sentior 3000--which it claims is the world's first self-managed optical amplifier--has many features which improve ROADM and network performance:

• Eliminates the need for costly external OCM modules due to a spectrum analysis function which closes the spectral operation loop at every point.

• Network OSNR is significantly improved due to the optical amplifier's compensation for ROADM optical insertion loss. This is achieved by connecting the ROADM to the Sentior 3000 through its mid-stage access (adjacent to a DCM module).

• The network system management system is free to focus on which channels need to be added or dropped since the Sentior 3000 directly manages the ROADM spectral performance.

• The network's management layer is simplified and more reliable because the Sentior 3000's tunable filter allows it to monitor its amplifier's gain loop.

"The innovative Sentior 3000 is a path-breaking solution for ROADM integration," contends Yossi Boker, RED-C CEO. "We know of no other ROADM/optical amplifier interoperability solution that approaches our price/performance. By improving the performance and intelligence of self-managed EDFAs, we have taken another important step in reaching our vision: improving optical networks through locally controlled sub-systems."