JANUARY 16, 2007 -- EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. (search for EXFO) has enhanced its optical transport network (OTN) test offering with the availability of ODU1 to ODU2 multiplexing test capabilities on its Transport Blazer test modules.

As defined in the ITU-T G.709 (Optical Transport Network) standard, the Optical Channel Data Unit (ODU) multiplex/demultiplex scheme allows four ODU1 signals within one ODU2 signal structure. This scheme provides a cost-efficient means of transporting 2.5-Gbit/sec DWDM services onto 10.7-Gbit/sec DWDM wavelengths.

EXFO's enhanced OTN test modules support OTU1 (2.7 Gbits/sec) and OTU2 (10.7 Gbits/sec) test rates, as well as ODU1 to ODU2 multiplex/demultiplex schemes. In addition, it covers forward error correction (FEC) generation/analysis, all OTN layer-alarm generation/monitoring, and trace-message generation/analysis. This combined feature-set is offered as a Transport Blazer test module for the FTB-200 Compact Platform, making it a portable and lightweight OTN instrument. It can also be hosted in the FTB-400 Universal Test System and IQS-500 Intelligent Test System for field deployment, maintenance, troubleshooting, and lab applications.

"EXFO's Transport Blazer test solution continues to evolve as customer deployments and requirements become more well-defined, especially with regard to optimizing DWDM networks," said Etienne Gagnon, EXFO's vice-president of protocol-layer product management. "OTN deployments are growing and increasingly becoming more important as reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers [ROADMs] gain acceptance. As a result, the need for advanced OTN test capabilities is becoming more apparent and EXFO is once again at the forefront of the innovation curve with a comprehensive technology offering in a compact format."

Visit EXFO