24 July 2003 Stockholm Lightwave -- Transmode Systems AB, supplier of transmission systems for fiber-optic networks, has launched the Universal Aggregator family, a modular set of plug-in units for its System 1100 CWDM platform. The aggregators feature universal protocol support, allowing up to eight client channels, each of which can be different protocols, to be aggregated on to a single wavelength. The Universal Aggregator family supports the new Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) standard allowing interoperability with other vendor platforms and, more importantly, with existing SDH/SONET networks.
Two main units are available within the Universal Aggregator family, which can be used individually or cascaded together to create the closest possible match to customer requirements. A third unit, known as a Port Concentrator, is also available to further increase the bandwidth efficiency per wavelength.
The Universal Aggregator family comprises:
• The UA5600, which accepts four client signals from 100 Mbits/sec to 1.25 Gbits/sec and aggregates them into a GFP-encapsulated STM-16/OC-48 line signal
• The UA5500, which accepts four client signals from 30 Mbits/sec to 200 Mbits/sec and aggregates them into a proprietary 1.25-Gbit/sec line signal. The output from the UA5500 unit can be connected in a point-point or ring topology to another UA5500 for disassembly, or alternatively the outputs from two UA5500s can be fed into the input of the UA5600 if interoperability with SDH/SONET systems is required.
• The UA5400 Port Concentrator, which is used as an alternative to the UA5600 for combining eight client signals on to a single 2.5-Gbit/sec wavelength with proprietary encapsulation for "closed system" applications where low cost is more important than interoperability.
Each of the units is available with pluggable optics on both the line and client side, based on the SFP standard. The line-side optics can be configured either as coloured WDM interfaces or standard 1310-nm interfaces for direct connection to SDH systems or closed systems where WDM is not required. These configuration options, together with the modular approach to the overall family concept and the system's Universal Protocol support, provide customers with unprecedented levels of flexibility, say company representatives.
The Universal Aggregator family also supports Transmode's "Plug and Play" functionality, with automatic client protocol and bit-rate detection, allowing operators to significantly reduce provisioning time and therefore operational expenses.
In the future, Customer-Premises Equipment or "Stackable" form-factor versions of the Universal Aggregator will be available, allowing the units to be deployed as standalone feeder systems to a metro collector ring, for example.
"Today's launch of the Universal Aggregator family is highly significant for a number of reasons," contends Isaac Olasoko, chief executive officer of Transmode Systems. "Firstly, it gives our customers unprecedented bandwidth efficiency, allowing up to 128 channels to be multiplexed on to a single fibre pair using low-cost CWDM technology. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it allows Transmode to address the Next-Gen SDH/SONET market, thanks to our support of standards such as GFP. Transmode is a pioneer of low cost Metro Access systems, and today's announcement provides customers with a Metro Edge aggregation solution that can be used to leverage the large installed base of SDH/SONET to deliver new broadband services to Enterprises," he adds.
The Universal Aggregator family will become commercially available over the next six months, with the first unit, the UA5500, planned for release in September 2003.