Matisse Networks touts study of EtherBurst Optical Switching

APRIL 25, 2007 -- Matisse Networks (search for Matisse Networks) today is touting a research study from Network Strategy Partners that supports Matisse's contention that its EtherBurst Optical Switch provides better economics than standard reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (search for ROADMs).

The Network Strategy Partners (NSP) study compares the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a metro Ethernet optical transport network built using ROADMs with one using Matisse Networks' EtherBurst Optical Switch. The study finds that when bandwidth scales to 10 Gbits/sec and beyond, the relative savings with EtherBurst continue to increase when compared against ROADM systems for metro Ethernet optical transport networks.

"Though ROADMs are conceptually well suited to accommodate high bandwidth and unpredictable traffic characteristics, current product implementations limit ROADMs to dependence on circuit-based design," contends NSP's Michael Kennedy, managing partner and author of the study. "Matisse Networks' EtherBurst Optical Switch overcomes these product limitations by employing optical burst switching technology to scale metro aggregation network bandwidth up to 640 Gbits/sec."

"The relative merit of optical burst switching has long been understood in the research community," adds Sam Mathan, chairman and CEO of Matisse Networks. "This report provides third-party validation and quantification of the significant savings the EtherBurst optical switch delivers for metro Ethernet optical transport networks."

NSP says it analyzed three network scenarios, including Carrier Ethernet, triple play, and a converged network offering both Carrier Ethernet and triply-play aggregation. The study modeled traffic requirements across a typical metro aggregation network, estimated Total Cost of Ownership, and then identified the sources of reduced cost.

According to NSP's report, Matisse's EtherBurst provides 40% lower TCO for the optical systems in a metro aggregation network dedicated to Carrier Ethernet services; 48% lower TCO for a metro aggregation network dedicated to triple-play service delivery; and 50% lower TCO when delivering both Carrier Ethernet and triple-play.

The study notes that capital expenditure (capex) savings are primarily due to optical burst switching's more efficient utilization of optical transport capacity for packet services. With EtherBurst, relative utilization is further increased by finer-grain quality-of-service (QoS) and more efficient handling of multicast traffic, says the report. Operational expenditure (opex) reduction is due to the relative ease of provisioning, managing, and maintaining packet optical transport with EtherBurst, a byproduct of the elimination of optical circuits, says NSP.

A copy of the report, "Total Cost of Ownership Analysis of Matisse Networks EtherBurst Optical Switch," can be obtained here.

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