Cox Communications deploys Atrica's Optical Ethernet Systems

January 31, 2005 Richardson, TX -- Fujitsu Network Communications Inc. and Atrica announced that Cox Communications has adopted the Fujitsu Flexible Architecture for Subscriber Service Termination (FASST) strategy. Cox Communications has completed deployment of Atrica's Optical Ethernet products, a component of the FASST portfolio, for a converged voice, video, and data services network that serves the New Orleans Public Schools (NOPS).

FASST, executed as a partnership of companies led by Fujitsu, is an architecture and "solution" suite optimized for transition management.

The upgraded network supports the district's business and technical requirements and links nearly 140 schools and administrative sites. Each site now receives high-speed, guaranteed services including Internet access, voice over IP, IP/H.323 videoconferencing, and distance learning, which enables an improved educational experience for students and increased efficiency for communications among its locations.

"According to our ENS Research Program analysis, healthcare, education, and state/local government are the top three vertical industry segments for U.S. retail Ethernet services," said Rosemary Cochran, principal at Vertical Systems Group. "Combined, these segments account for more than three-quarters of the total base of customer ports installed in 2004."

Cox Communications selected Atrica's Carrier Ethernet suite after a successful trial within the St. Bernard School District in New Orleans. For the NOPS network, Cox Communications has deployed Atrica's A 8100 Optical Ethernet core switches at hub locations, A 4100 Optical Ethernet aggregation switches at select aggregation sites, and A 2100 Optical Ethernet edge switches to deliver services at each school or administration site. Cox Communications is also using the Atrica Service Platform for Ethernet Networks (ASPEN), an integrated service provisioning and management system, to manage the entire network.

In addition to the service and support that Fujitsu provided for the project, Cox Communications selected the FASST strategy due to the ability of Atrica's Optical Ethernet Systems to provide a large-scale, managed service level agreement (SLA)-based Gigabit Ethernet network with integrated TDM services at an economical price point. Atrica's Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF)-compliant Committed Information Rate (CIR) capabilities allow Cox Communications to accurately control bandwidth and ensure each site has an equal share of bandwidth and services.

The carrier-class attributes Atrica delivers -- including guaranteed SLAs; quality of service (QoS); Ethernet operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning (OAM&P); and sub-50 msec resiliency -- allows Cox Communications to adjust bandwidth as the school system's needs change over time. The scalability provided by the 17-slot Atrica A-8100 chassis with 10-Gigabit Ethernet DWDM links and Atrica's network design capabilities were also cited as key reasons for the selection.

"The Fujitsu FASST strategy with Atrica's Optical Ethernet Systems was the best solution we evaluated that met each of the rigorous business and technical demands this project presented," said Paul Schowalter, network transport engineering manager for Cox Communications in New Orleans. "While transporting potentially large flows of traffic across the network, transparency to the school network and honoring QoS markings from end-to-end were vitally important. Atrica's Layer 2 transparency with MPLS bandwidth control and QoS mechanisms allowed us to build a high performance network that supports all the multimedia applications the school system will run across it."