Phonoscope selects Ciena’s packet-optical platform

Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) says Houston-based metro carrier Phonoscope has selected its packet-optical transport and Carrier Ethernet technology to provide high-capacity, next-generation optical transport and business Ethernet services, as well as 4G LTE mobile backhaul services, to enterprise and service provider customers in the Houston area.

Phonoscope provides a wide variety of networking services, including Ethernet and optical transport services to business, government, education, and residential service provider customers across seven counties. In business since 1953, the company says it holds the first and largest privately owned fiber-optic metropolitan-area network (MAN) in the US. And now Phonoscope will become the first metro network operator in Houston equipped to deliver services at speeds that scale from 10G to 40G to 100G, it crows.

As part of a network expansion, Phonoscope will deploy Ciena's 6500 Packet-Optical Platform, to build a new, high-capacity fiber-optic network that connects 25 fault-tolerant, multi-gigabit Ethernet rings. The enhanced network will enable Phonoscope to provide optical transport services with the ability to scale to 40G/100G with the addition of Ciena WaveLogic coherent optical line cards.

Phonoscope will also deploy Ciena's 5410 and 5150 Service Aggregation Switches, and 3930 and 3931 Service Delivery Switches, all part of Ciena's Carrier Ethernet Solutions (CES) portfolio, to provide a reliable, high-capacity, transport-class packet network.

Ciena is also providing Phonoscope with its network and service management software for automated service creation, activation, and monitoring; and professional services for this deployment via its Ciena Specialist Services portfolio, including ongoing testing and support.

"With Ciena's market-leading packet-optical solutions, as well as Carrier Ethernet technology, we will be equipped to offer data services at bandwidth speeds that scale from 10G to 100G, and have the ability to offer new services, such as mobile backhaul, to expand our addressable market while offering our customers the added benefit of only having to work with one vendor," said Rhonda Cumming, president at Phonoscope.

For more information on packet-optical systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.