Branded with optics

f Supercomm '96 is any indication, the switching and transmission world is thinking optically. Some of the items showcased included high-functioning optical multiplexers, multiple optical drops to replace old electrical ones, optical amplifiers, wave division multiplexing over fiber optics, optical switch interfaces, and Sonet fiber optics-based time division multiplexing upgrades to OC-192. Of course, the wireline world has known for some time that fiber optics are the wave of the future. But only recently are specialized products and features supporting the actual copper and electrical replacement and implementation flooding into the market. Leading one segment of the optical charge and duking it out for biggest WDM-bragging rights are Ciena Corp. and Pirelli Cable. The two wave multiplexing specialty companies announced big-jump upgrades to their wave capabilities. Ciena announced 40-channel WDM, and Pirelli announced 32-channel. "Our 40-channel system is a direct extension of the technology that we're using to do 16 WDM. It's not new, but extended to achieve 100 Mb/s," said Pat Nettles, chief executive officer and president of Ciena. Alcatel Telecom announced 16 WDM over fluoride-based optical amplifiers and the promise of 32 channels in the future. Jon Currie, product line manager for lightwave products at Alcatel Network Systems, said fluoride amplifiers have signal-to-noise performance advantages over silica-based amplifiers, making 32-channel WDM possible. "We'll be shipping 16 WDM in the fall," he said. On the TDM side, the company showed its OC-192 Sonet multiplexer and system, while also announcing optical port capabilities on all its wideband and broadband digital cross-connects. The optical interfaces on the OC-3 and OC-12 cross-connects will help create end-to-end optical networks by eliminating electrical connections between network elements. Tellabs showed its optical OC-3 and OC-12 interfaces on its Titan DCS. The company also announced an upgrade to the system that adds data communications channel (DCC) routing, fault indication and escalation, high-speed administrative communications channel and higher density DS-1 interface, up to 896 T-1 connections per bay. New capabilities on Tadiran Telecommunications' T::DAX DCS also included an optical interface-at OC-3 level. Other enhancements to the system, emphasizing wideband and broadband solutions, were a DS-3 intact interface and STS-1 option, T-1 far-end performance monitoring and FDL extraction for wireless, plus a doubling of ports from 128 to 256 DS-3 connections. Northern Telecom, like Alcatel, showed its OC-192 Sonet point-to-point transmission system and announced a deal with MCI to supply the interexchange carrier with asynchronous transfer mode switches for the backbone to MCI's high-speed data service. "MCI does have an ATM network already, an early one that they'll keep. With Nortel, they were looking for a strategic partner, as well as a supplier of ATM equipment," said Doug Kaye, director of marketing for Magellan networks at Nortel. Besides announcing its new name, Fujitsu Network Communications-a combination of Fujitsu Network Systems and Fujitsu Ltd., the formerly separate transmission and switching subsidiaries-also showed its OC-192 Sonet system; however unlike Alcatel and Nortel, the system was in a Sonet ring formation. Fujitsu unveiled its next generation ATM switch, which comes preloaded with switched virtual circuit capability, and switched digital video fiber to the curb. Fujitsu also announced an extension of its agreement with Bay Networks to provide data solutions for public networks, including native local area network interconnections over Sonet, Internet access and frame relay service over a Sonet/ATM network, and data communications networks for operating systems. Getting fiber close to the consumer-and therefore getting bandwidth close to the consumer-is the goal of Reltec's Supercomm announced Fiberst*r system. Using a fiber-fed optical network unit (ONU) in the neighborhood and an inexpensive 10BaseT LAN card inside the customer's computer, Fiberst*r delivers up to 10 Mb/s speed to each home. "It's basically a LAN connection for the neighborhood," said John Autry, engineering manager for Reltec. BellSouth has approved a trial for 120 homes in its region. NEC America chose a combination of optical and copper for a direct central office-to-customer premises connection to offer broadband services. The company's solution includes CO-to-the-curb connection for both telephony and high-bandwidth services. A box in the house separates the signals and delivers the two signals into the house to different receivers. NEC's OC-192 multiplexer was also on display, as well as its 8-channel wave division multiplexing (upgradable to 16). Rich Moran, director of product marketing in the public networks group of NEC, said the company doesn't prefer one over the other when it comes to TDM products vs. WDM products. "With WDM, the IXCs are looking at it for pure bandwidth, trying to push a signal a long way. With TDM, the LECs are looking at it for shorter calls moving not as far in distance," he said. Integrated Network Corp. also spotlighted its ideas on residential broadband services with its Allendale access network using intelligent remote nodes (IRNs) located close to customers with an optional access gateway at the CO. The system supports Sonet capacity up to eight OC-3c or two OC-12c channels and is currently being shipped for field trials with Korea Telecom. "It's a switch at the end of the network that supports 500 users. We deliberately went after the residential market. That's where we saw less competition," said Andrew Chapman, executive vice president and general manager for the multimedia business unit. Summa Four offered a switching option with its new VCO Series/20 open programmable switch. The switch is a scaled-down sister to the VCO series/80, using the same software and hardware components. Summa Four's newest tandem switch will allow both established and emerging service providers to offer quicker service deployment, scaling up to 60 T-1 connections. The switch can also be used by wireless providers for applications such as a base station controller. "It's a full telco grade switch, intended to meet Bellcore standards. It complements the tandem switch. And it can also be used as a transport switch in smaller networks," said John Shaw, vice president of business development and strategy at Summa Four. Lucent Technologies stuck to tradition a bit more than some of the other vendors and announced upgrades to its 5ESS switch to ease Internet traffic jams. Of course, the company has a huge installed base of the analog CO switches that are still in use and will continue to be in use for years to come. The Lucent switch changes include a new, non-blocking switch component to which service providers can attach heavy Internet users and an expansion to add more ISDN lines. Dave Schriftgiesser, broadband networking vice president at Lucent, said the new features will help some of the smaller Internet service providers (ISPs). "The smaller ISPs have problems dealing with the termination of voice and getting primary rate interface or T-1 from telcos," he said. Lucent also announced plans to integrate Ascend Communications' access technology to hand off Internet traffic from the voice network to a provider's data network, as well as reselling both General DataComm's ATM edge nodes and ADC Kentrox's ATM access concentrator in its broadband multimedia network solutions. DSC Communications focused its Supercomm efforts more on offering total customer solutions instead of specific products. The company packaged existing elements to form two systems using all DSC products and addressing different carrier needs. Its broadband intelligent network system uses existing intelligent network products with an ATM switch so that providers can offer such services as switched digital video, videoconferencing and distance learning. The second package is a suite of products and services to deal with heavy on-line Internet use. DSC packages its Litespan, next generation access platform, signal transfer point integrated technology and cross-connects to offer local exchange carriers one-stop shopping to make sure Internet traffic doesn't adversely affect key network elements.