Menara Networks announces North American MSO selection of its OTN system-in-an-XFP

NOVEMBER 17, 2009 -- Menara Networks says that a “leading” North American multiple service operator (MSO) has selected the company's OTN System-in-an-XFP modules to expand its multi-service network servicing enterprise, residential, and mobile customers.

Menara’s MSA-compliant XFP transceivers are designed to transparently map native 10-Gigabit Ethernet LAN PHY signals from the switch/router into an ITU-T G.709-compliant OTN frame and perform all necessary forward error correction (FEC) and OAM processing. (See "Menara Networks to debut 'OTN in a transceiver' at OFC/NFOEC" and "New transceivers help IP/Ethernet transport networks evolve.")

The network upgrade consisted of populating IP/Ethernet switch/routers with Menara’s OTN System-in-a-XFP modules and connecting the routers over a WAN as an alien wavelength over deployed DWDM optical infrastructure. The result, says Menara, was a simpler, more efficient, transponder-less architecture that resulted in faster service deployment, lower first cost, 50% less carbon footprint, and “substantial” capital and operational savings associated with the elimination of the DWDM transponders.

The company says the robustness of its OTN XFP to optical transmission impairments and system performance made the upgrade a true “plug-and-play” upgrade with no modifications to the existing optical physical network or the installed router base. Link performance monitoring was provided through Menara’s “Link Checker” feature, which is designed to enable continuous monitoring, in real time, of each deployed wavelength FEC margin.

“Service providers around the world are moving toward a single IP/NGN converged network with a packet transport underpinning, bringing to fore the question of what is the best transport architecture for combining, mixing, interoperating packet and optical,” said Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst, Infonetics Research. “Integrating these transport functions into switch/router products provides the necessary capital and operational efficiencies that can help network operators stay ahead of the downward transport operational cost/Gbps competition they face. By re-packaging the traditional DWDM transponder into a pluggable XFP module, Menara offers a unique option for operators to make a simple transition to a packet-centric optical transport architecture in a cost-effective manner.”

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