JDSU (NASDAQ: JDSU) (TSX: JDU) has announced at ECOC its intension to offer a suite of five optical communications products in the second half of 2012 targeted at what it calls “Self Aware Networks.” The suite will include a wavelength-selective switch (WSS) two-pack, dual multicast switch, optical channel monitor, hybrid Raman/Erbium amplifier, and an EDFA array.
Self Aware Networks require colorless, directionless, contentionless, and flexible spectrum capabilities, according to JDSU. Based on the suite of products, these functions would be enabled via reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) and attendant amplification technology.
"Self Aware Networks require a new architecture and a new set of high-performance, compact, and cost-effective components," said Brandon Collings, optical communications CTO for the CCOP segment at JDSU. "We're developing a comprehensive portfolio of products that will enable these new architectures based on several years of collaboration with customers to understand the requirements of next generation networks."
Details of the Self Aware Network product suite include:
- A Twin WSS, which integrates two independent 1x20 WSSs into a compact form factor to support “route and select” architectures. It will be designed to efficiently support rapid wavelength routing, improve signal isolation, and reduce optical power loss at network switching nodes. It will also provide full flexible spectrum channel allocation and scaling for channel multiplexing and demultiplexing with colorless, directionless, and contentionless capabilities, according to JDSU.
- The Dual Multi-Cast Switch features an integrated pair of new devices that implement colorless, directionless, and contentionless wavelength routing in a single package. It will support up to 8 degrees of optical switching and 16 transceiver ports.
- The optical channel monitor will have multiple inputs and a scanning filter to support flexible spectrum and dynamically reconfigured networks.
- The hybrid Raman/Erbium amplifier will add less noise into the network than conventional EDFAs, JDSU asserts.
- The EDFA array will integrate several EDFAs into a compact form factor, JDSU says.
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