LIFE ON THE EDGE

“Migration path” and “the edge” may read more like the signs you'd encounter on a hiking trail, but Unisphere Networks is using such nomenclature to capitalize on a troubled segment of the market: the network edge. Although the vendor has plenty of competitors focusing on that space, Unisphere is counting on its new MRX multiservice edge router to stand out.

Unisphere has gained a lot of ground with around 150 customers for its ERX edge routers, but what's unique about the MRX is its ability to integrate IP routing, ATM switching, multiprotocol label switching and IP services into one box. And to pack even more punch, the router can scale from 40 Gb/s to 320 Gb/s and has wire-speed routing.

“The edge is hot, and it's where service providers are investing and revenue-generating services are being deployed,” said John Burnham, vice president of corporate communications for Unisphere.

“Providers can use multiple control planes so they can do any service, any port on any channel,” added Bill Glynn, senior product line manager for Unisphere.

Those capabilities are of particular interest to service providers, said Tam Dell'Oro of the Dell'Oro Group. “Unisphere jumps ahead in port densities and flexibility on channelization,” Dell'Oro said. For example, most routers typically do either ATM or frame relay but not both.

So far, XO Communications has signed on with Unisphere for the MRX, which began shipping last month. Though Unisphere will compete head-on with Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks, its real competition might be start-up Laurel Networks, which offers an edge router with very similar characteristics to the MRX.

At this point, though, one big difference is that Unisphere is already shipping. — Liane H. LaBarba
www.unispherenetworks.com