WDMBlog » ROADMs

Posted on 03.06.06

This Lightwave article by Vinay Rathore of Ciena describes how wavelength selective switches (WSS) and electrical ROADMs, eROADMS can be combined to give an optical network Dynamic Wavlength Routing (DWR) capability. DWR allows the operator to drop arbitrary wavelegnths along any node followed by dropping a sub-wavelength service from that wavelength.

Filed under: ROADMs
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Advantages of Next Gen MEMS-based ROADMs

Posted on 03.06.06

In this Lightwave article by Fadi Masoud of Nortel advantages of next-generation reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexers (ROADM) based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) are desribed. These devices are dubbed enhanced ROADMs or eROADMs. The major advantage is the colorless operation, that is specific input ports are not dedicated to specific wavelengths. This gives the operator additional flexibility in remote deployment of wavelengths. I assume that Nortel is using or planning to use eROADMs in its DWDM systems. What is not clear to meis whether Nortel is manufacturing these components themselves or buying them from a third party.

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Upgrades to the Cisco 15454 MSTP Platform

Posted on 03.03.06

Cisco has announced hardware and software upgrades to its 15454 Multi Service Transport Platform. Of particular interest are the following upgrades:

-32-channel ROADM-based long-band (L-band) solution, which includesROADMs and optical amplifiers, transponders and muxponders. These units allow up to 32 wavelengths (100 GHz-spaced)to be transported in the L-band region of the transmission spectrum

-Full center-band (C-band) and L-band tunability for 10-Gbps transponder and muxponder cards on 50GHz channel grid;

-Multi-shelf management, which allows centralized provisioning and management of multiple shelves at each DWDM node location;

-Future in-service mesh/multi-ring upgrade capability for ROADM-based networks requiring multi-degree applications; and

-Alien lambda support, which allows for insertion of 10 Gbps or 40 Gbps non-ONS wavelengths into the ROADM network. This means the possible direct interconnection of routers and switches, enabling the elimination of transponders in some cases

Filed under: ROADMs and WDM Technology
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Princeton University Deploys NEC ROADM

Posted on 02.15.06

NEC America, has announced that Princeton University has deployed the NEC’s SpectralWave 4240 Core/Edge reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM). Princeton University will use the ROADM product to help researchers, students and faculty transfer massive amounts of research and data across multiple locations.

Filed under: ROADMs and New WDM Deployments
Comments: 1 Comment

AT&T to Upgrade Optical Backbone

Posted on 02.01.06

AT&T (SBC) announced plans to upgrade its optical backbone in 2006. Here’s the blurb from the Lightreading article:

Finally, AT&T said it will start upgrading its optical backbone to OC768 (40 Gbit/s) throughout 2006. Several vendors will see some action here, analysts say, not the least of which include Siemens AG , the incumbment long-haul DWDM supplier, and Ciena Corp. , which has several long-haul switches in AT&T’s network.

"We also highlight our expectations that AT&T is ready to begin deploying initial ROADM metro optical systems instead of additional SONET ADM capacity, likely from Fujitsu," write Lehman’s analysts. "We believe over time AT&T may look for a second source to Fujitsu which could open up 7100 opportunities for Tellabs down the road, and note this deployment underscores our views about the emergence of the ROADM market in 2006/2007."

Presumably, this upgrade relates to the AT&T portion of SBC/AT&T.

Filed under: ROADMs and New WDM Deployments
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OpVista DWDM and ROADM Deployed by Service Electric in Pennsylvania

Posted on 01.11.06

OpVista, Inc has announced deployment of its OpVista transport system by Service Electric. The deployment utilizes OpVista’s ROADM (reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers) and Ultra-DWDM technology and its Switch Ring Architecture (SRA)…Service Electric serves approximately 300,000 subscribers across Pennsylvania…The OpVista network deployed by Service Electric optically interconnects systems across Pennsylvania and New Jersey on two interconnected rings. It is 100% dynamically reconfigurable, provides fast optical protection, and spans 700 km with no dispersion compensation or regeneration. The network supports bi-directional transport of gigabit Ethernet for video-on-demand, digital simulcast, VoIP and commercial IP data traffic, as well as uni-directional broadcast video traffic.

Filed under: ROADMs and New WDM Deployments
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Comcast Chooses Nortel for Optical Backbone Deployment

Posted on 12.13.05

Comcast Corporation , a U.S.-based cable operator has selected optical network equipment from Nortel for its converged national IP backbone.

Nortel will be supplying a DWDM solution that includes the Nortel Common Photonic Layer (CPL) and Optical Multiservice Edge (OME) 6500 platforms, as well as a full suite of implementation, integration, and support services.

Comcast’s optical deployment utilizes enhanced ROADM (reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexing) capabilities in Nortel’s CPL platform to dynamically reallocate optical bandwidth as needed across the network.

Filed under: ROADMs and DWDM Systems
Comments: 1 Comment

First Multi-Degree ROADM Deployment for Movaz

Posted on 11.03.05

Movaz Networks has announced the world’s first in-service deployment of a Multi-Degree RAY-ROADM network. A newly integrated switching core is now established linking multiple networks with the Movaz multi-degree RAY-ROADM platforms. This all optical DWDM transport and mesh reconfigurable network provides extended reach to key government and university sites including the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mid Atlantic Crossroads (MAX), and the National Lambda Rail.

The Movaz Multi-Degree RAY-ROADM network offers three distinct advantages over older generations of ROADM systems. The first is the ability to optionally add single or multi-degree ROADMs when and where such capability is truly needed by the service add/drop requirements. Without having to predict and pre-install for unknown future traffic patterns, stranded equipment is eliminated and initial capital expenditures are minimized. Second is the support for in field upgrades from single to multi-degree on the same shelf platform. This ensures that the equipment deployed today will not have be fork-lifted out in the future to support multi-degree switching. The third and perhaps most important benefit is the lifecycle saving that is achieved with the Movaz RAY-ROADM design in operational simplification and software automation.

With the need for a future proof, all-optical network that supports multi-degree mesh reconfigurability, Mid Atlantic Crossroads (MAX) in conjunction with the National Science Foundation (NSF) began the multi-phased deployments of the Movaz RAY-ROADM over a year ago. The RAY-ROADM was first configured as a 1×1 ROADM in a mixed ring configuration with Movaz’s RAYexpressTM product, deployed either as standalone nodes or as subtending service terminating shelves. With this system, MAX and NSF have been able to support many new time critical e-Science applications, which require the ability to dynamically groom, route, and transport “light path” services in a variety of formats including SONET OC-192, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Fiber Channel, Packet IP, as well as native wavelengths. Further enhancing the system is the sophisticated GMPLS control plane embedded in every Movaz ROADM element to ensure any service on the “light path” can be instantaneous set up on an as needed or pre-scheduled basis.

“Phase 1 of project, code named “DRAGON” for Dynamic Resource Allocation over GMPLS Optical Networks, was established in 2004, containing the Movaz iWSS Optical Cross Connect and RAYexpressTM. This network successfully demonstrated all-optical per-lambda routing and rapid wavelength,” stated Jerry Sobieski, Principal Investigator of the NSF DRAGON project “In July of 2005, Movaz upgraded into this network its multi-degree RAY-ROADMs and we have successfully turned up services, on what we believe to be the first truly all-optical system. We have been very pleased with both the performance and the manageability of the Movaz multi-degree RAY-ROADM network.”

The Movaz RAY-ROADM platform is a universal shelf, containing fully integrated switching modules, pre/post amplifiers and Optical Performance Monitoring (OPM) cards. The core of the RAY-ROADM multi-degree switching module is based on Movaz’s exclusively patented technology, which enabled Movaz to fully integrate 1xN MEMS arrays with electronic drive ASICs in a chip like packaging. This unique assembly brought forth significant advantages in terms of overall system size and economics. As demonstrated in the MAX/NSF network, the RAY-ROADM can be added to any installed RAYexpressTM network to further complement it with dynamically managed add/drop and pass-through capabilities.

“The uniqueness of the Movaz RAY-ROADM originates from its highly integrated packaging of optics, ASICs and MEMS in an extremely compact form factor. With this, Movaz is able to eliminate the conventional design of multiple interconnected switching shelves, and truly deliver the economic values of a ROADM network as well as greatly simplified network operations,” stated Bijan Khosravi, Chairman and CEO of Movaz Networks, “The multi-degree RAY-ROADM accomplishes a major element of the Movaz vision in delivering a multi-faceted all-optical network with DWDM, optical switching and GMPLS Control Plane.”

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Filed under: ROADMs
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Optical Bypass Switching Protection from Lynx Photonic Networks

Posted on 10.10.05

Lynx Photonic Technologies has adapted its planar lightwave circuit switching technology to provide Optical Bypass switching products for ring topologies thus making them more resilient to multi-node failures. To support its recent product release, Lynx has published three white papers to educate the customer on all aspects of optical bypass swiching:

Equipment protection in Access Networks

Achieving high access network availability for optical services through equipment protection systems

Read More
All Optical Bypass Switching in Optical Networks

All-optical bypass switching relates to implementations that utilize the capability of some all-optical switches to perform automatic switchover to a default position under power outage condition to solve real problems in optical networks.

Read More
LightLEADER-300X-U Add-On System For Optical Node Bypass

As networks carry ever-increasing bandwidth and where transferred data is “mission critical”, the degree of network resilience is a major concern. A problem arises when a power failure results in the network being divided into two separate parts.

Read More

Filed under: ROADMs and CWDM Systems and DWDM Systems
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Canarie Issues a RFP for a Experimental Next-Gen ROADM Network

Posted on 10.07.05

Canarie, Canada’s non-profit Internet development organization, has issued a request for proposals for a next-gen optical network. Here’s an excert from the RFP:

CANARIE and ORANO are partnering on deploying a new optical network that could see the addition of a dense wavelength transport capability in Southern Ontario and in the following corridors:

Chicago-Detroit/Windsor

Detroit/Windsor-Toronto

Toronto-Buffalo

Toronto-Ottawa

Ottawa-Montréal-New York

The purpose of this new optical network is to explore innovative optical network architectures such as direct wavelength insertion at the campus, user controlled lightpaths, peer to peer wavelength swapping and deployment of articulated private networks.

Filed under: ROADMs and DWDM Systems
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Cisco Deploys ROADMs with Japan Telecom

Posted on 10.05.05

Cisco Systems, Inc. announced today that JAPAN TELECOM CO., Ltd. of the Softbank Group since December 2004, has completed an upgrade of its Cisco ONS 15454-based dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) optical networking solution using reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexing (ROADM) technology. JAPAN TELECOM’s ROADM deployment has been operating for more than three months. With this deployment, Cisco has now shipped more than 1,000 ROADM nodes to customers worldwide.

Filed under: ROADMs and DWDM Systems
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Meriton Acquires Mahi Networks

Posted on 10.05.05

Meriton Networks has acquired Mahi Networks for an undisclosed sum (USD $4 M or less as speculated in the Lightreading comments). A thorough analysis is given in the Lighreading article. However, the combined company will still not be a top 3 player in the Metro DWDM, CWDM, ROADM market, so hopes of recovering the $100’s of millions of combined investment in Meriton, Mahi, Photuris (acquired by Mahi) are slim.

Filed under: ROADMs and CWDM Systems and DWDM Systems
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New ROADM and CDWDM Edge Products from Coastcom

Posted on 10.04.05

Coastcom, a manufacturer of voice and data communications equipment for public and private networks, announced today it has expanded its product line to include the GigaEdge 8200 next-generation CWDM reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) and GigaEdge 2330 mini multi-service provisioning platform (MSPP).

Filed under: ROADMs and CWDM Systems
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32 Channel PLC ROADM from Optun

Posted on 09.29.05

OpTun, Inc a manufacturer of PLC based solutions, announces the introduction of its Lambda Edge 3200. A 1RU pizza box solution, based on its 32 channel PLC ROADM, using its proprietary on-chip design referred to as Controlled Mode Interaction (CMI™).

OpTun’s CMI™ technology is a waveguide design that allows robust and differentiating switch and VOA performance on a Silica-on-Silicon platform. Direct benefits of this CMI™ technology are its high-yielding design, lower electrical power consumption and optical performance over the entire ITU C- and L-band.

Filed under: ROADMs
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Engana Announces Funding Round for Wavelength Selective Switches

Posted on 09.28.05

Engana, an Australian startup specializing in wavelength selective switches (WSS) has announced AUD 8 Million in new funding. WSSs are the key building blocks of reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexers (ROADMs). As the ROADM market heats up, the component makers are also benefiting. The website does not mention what technology platform is used for the WSS but states "In particular, the Engana WSS has the unique ability to offer an arbitrary, remotely reconfigurable channel plan."

Filed under: ROADMs and Fiber Optic Telecom Business Issues
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Xtera Wins with Energis for Raman Amplified DWDM Systems

Posted on 09.22.05

Energis has selected Xtera Communications, Inc. as the multi-reach DWDM supplier for their next generation backbone network in the United Kingdom. Xtera will construct the new optical backbone, supporting triple play services, with Nu-Wave, Xtera’s multi-reach DWDM transport system that features optimum reach, enhanced bandwidth, and unprecedented Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (OADM) flexibility and capacity. Furthermore, Xtera will be providing Energis with a comprehensive suite of services.

With Nu-Wave, Energis is using innovative Raman DWDM technology to create a national multi-service network providing high capacity optical bandwidth to fifty locations throughout the United Kingdom. Once completed, Energis’ new optical backbone will comprise more than 60 network elements, will span about 4,000 km and will exploit the full 100nm of bandwidth of the all-Raman Nu-Wave system. With Nu-Wave, Energis is able to minimize O-E-O transitions as well as reduce data aggregation layers in their network, therefore enabling them to provide low jitter, low latency services that are crucial to video and data applications. Nu-Wave’s ability to place OADMs at any location, coupled with the capability to seamlessly upgrade, while in-service, in-line amplifier (ILA) sites to OADM sites provides Energis with the connectivity and flexibility required for their delivery of bandwidth intensive video and data services.

The flexible high-bandwidth architecture economically supports high-quality bandwidth for critical applications like the delivery of post-production video. Nu-Wave’s unique combination of bandwidth and OADM flexibility enables Energis to mix broadcast applications, homing applications, and traditional ring based applications on the same optical backbone. A resilient all-optical dual homing network architecture, combined with Nu-Wave’s outstanding product reliability enables Energis to provide unsurpassed service availability to their customers. Additionally, using Nu-Wave’s extensive optical monitoring capability combined with its intuitive management system, Energis can provide their customers with a detailed view of that customer’s capacity. This functionality allows Energis’ customers to directly monitor their purchased services in real-time.

“Using Nu-Wave’s high-capacity multi-reach capabilities, we are able to simplify our national network and provide our customers with higher quality services, while lowering equipment and operational costs,” said Energis’ Business Development Director for the Media Sector, Alex Holt. Xtera CEO Jon Hopper commented, “Energis immediately saw the value of simplifying their network architecture using Nu-Wave, the industry’s only actual Wide Reach™ DWDM transport solution with the headroom to deliver abundant high-quality video, data and advanced voice services. Using Nu-Wave, Energis is able to architect a next generation optical backbone that positions them to be the provider of choice in the UK for emerging data and video applications.”

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Filed under: ROADMs and DWDM Systems and Fiber Optic Cable Network Upgrades
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Capella Photonics Announces $10M of New Funding for ROADM Development

Posted on 09.22.05

Capella Photonics, a provider of wavelength selective switch (WSS) modules for use in reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) and optical cross connect (OXC) applications, today announced the closing of $10 million in its Series D financing round. The round was led by investors Bay Partners, BCE Capital, Vanguard Ventures, and several private investors. Capella says the capital infusion will allow it to mass-produce, sell, and support its patented WavePath products.

Filed under: ROADMs and Fiber Optic Telecom Business Issues
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Tellabs Wins Verizon ROADM Contract

Posted on 09.20.05

According to the financial services firm Morgan Keegan, Tellabs has won a contract with Verizon to supply reconfigurable add-drop multiplexeters for Verizon’s Optical Transport Platform (OTP) request for proposals (RFP). This will add $250-350 M revenue to Tellabs over the next 3 years. Tellabs beat out Fujutsu, Cisco, and Lucent for this contract. What is also noteworthy about this was that the ROADM was a previously unannounced product and Verizon is likely to be the first customer. Here is the Lightwave article on this and here is the Lightreading article.

Filed under: ROADMs
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Photonic Layer Systems at the Metro Edge

Posted on 09.16.05

With the roll-out of digital , high definition, and video on demand TV programming, cable TV operators are seeking to expand the capacity of their metro core transmission networks.

In this article, Robin Andrew of BTI Photonic Systems first describes applications of reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexers (ROADMs) at the metro core and provides a cost analysis.

The meat of the article is in the last section detailing a new class of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems named "Photonic Layer Systems". These are more compact, lower cost systems that connect the metro core to the access network. They have both DWDM and CWDM capability. BTI is a manufacturer of such systems. According to the article:

By combining the economic value of the photonic layer with carrier-grade functionality, an emerging class of photonic-layer products provides a scalable and cost-effective VOD architecture for delivery of GbE connectivity at the network edge. … They also provide the reach required to extend to tier-two cities and markets in a carrier-managed system that integrates with existing architectures and management networks.

Filed under: ROADMs and CWDM Systems and DWDM Systems
Comments: None

Lucent Rumored to be Preparing a Next Generation WDM Platform

Posted on 09.12.05

This Lightreading article discussed the next-generation WDM platform that is rumored to be in development by Lucent. A "source" quoted by Lightreading says:

"There is a move in the market to develop devices where you have multiple layers integrated into one platform," our source says. "This would include a Sonet STS1 crossconnect, DWDM transport, and packet processing for either Layer 2 or Layer 3. And this box would be deployable in regional and long-haul networks."

The article goes on to discuss carrier requests for this platform, the Nortel Common Photonic layer strategy, and Lucent’s partnership with Movaz Networks on ROADMs (reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexers).

Filed under: ROADMs and DWDM Systems and WDM Technology
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