LuxN announces CWDM access platform
LuxN unveiled an addition to its line of optical Ethernet access platforms targeted at low-density networks, including campus interconnections, metropolitan access or smaller metropolitan rings.
The WideWav system uses coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) in an effort to provide a more cost-effective way for service providers to deploy wave division multiplexing (WDM) technology. CWDM systems are designed for short-haul optics, in which wavelengths are spaced farther apart than in dense WDM (DWDM) systems.
By spacing wavelengths farther apart, CWDM systems can be built using cheaper, uncooled lasers, rather than the more expensive cooled lasers used in longer-haul DWDM systems.
Uncooled lasers are electronically tuned, while cooled lasers are temperature tuned. Electronic tuning is preferable over temperature tuning because temperature tuning is harder to achieve across a wider wavelength range -- such as that in CWDM -- due to temperature uniformity across all wavelengths. This adds to the cost of the WDM system, according to analyst Jay Patel of The Yankee Group.
WideWav is a module for LuxN's WavStation WDM system. Each WideWav module supports a single fiber that can carry eight CWDM channels or four CWDM and 16 DWDM wavelengths via an option that lets users aggregate CWDM and International Telecommunications Union-compliant wavelengths.
However, WideWav and other CWDM systems work best at the edge of an ITU system or if the users stay within a particular network, like point-to-point, according to Agnes Imregh, LuxN's vice president of marketing.
"I would recommend that if you're expecting a fiber-dense population, in order to get a maximum return, it makes sense to start with a DWDM system right away," she says.
WideWav can be configured remotely, Imregh says. For instance, an OC-3/STM-1 service delivered to a customer site can be changed to a native Gigabit Ethernet or Fibre Channel service through remote commands, Imregh says.
LuxN's competition in CWDM includes ONI Systems, Adva, Atrica and Terawave.
The street price for the WideWav system starts at $12,000 per lambda for a four-channel configuration. Pricing also depends on rate and reach requirements. The company currently has no units in evaluation but anticipates mid-June availability.
Separately, LuxN announced a multiyear agreement with Time Warner Telecom, which will purchase LuxN's WavSystem DWDM equipment. Time Warner Telecom is currently deploying the equipment in New York and Columbus, Ohio, for Gigabit Ethernet and other services.
The WavSystem line includes the WavStation WS32340 concentrator, the WavFarer WS32170 access node and the WavPortal WS32020 customer premises equipment.
» posted by ITworld staff
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