Internet Photonics Swells LightStack

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. and SHREWSBURY, N.J. -- Internet Photonics, a leading developer of carrier-grade, Optical Ethernet and intelligent wavelength transport platforms today announced the addition of SONET and Fibre Channel/FICON interfaces to its LightStackÔ MXA making it the first carrier-grade Coarse Wave Division Multiplexing (CWDM) solution to integrate multiservice support, an optical ADM, and “3R” (retime, repeat, regenerate) functions in the industry’s smallest form factor. The additions expand the company’s product portfolio beyond Optical Ethernet to address network operator demand for intelligent, managed services over wavelengths without disrupting existing service.

While managed Optical Ethernet and Fibre Channel/FICON are being adopted rapidly, SONET/SDH services have a large installed base and will continue to be deployed for traditional applications. The LightStack MXA supports any mix of SONET/SDH, Optical Ethernet and Fibre Channel/FICON services on rings, as well as point to point links, giving operators maximum flexibility in network deployment and service offerings. The new modules can be provisioned remotely and service rates can be changed “on-the-fly”, minimizing upfront capital, provisioning, and ongoing operational expenditures. And utilizing Internet Photonics’ SONET/SDH WrapAround™ technology, new services can be deployed on the same fiber along-side existing SONET/SDH add/drop multiplexers (ADMs) without disruption, a unique feature of Internet Photonics’ solutions.

“This announcement is significant in two ways,” said Gary Southwell, Vice President of Marketing, Internet Photonics. “First, we now provide our telco and cable customers with a way to increase revenues, margins, and market share by enabling them to offer new data and storage services, privately and securely, over wavelengths to their enterprise customers or other operators without impacting existing services. Secondly, we have added the industry’s smallest “3R” functions to the LightStack MXA allowing it to replace both large chassis-based Ethernet switches and SONET/SDH ADMs at the CO at a fraction of the capital and operational cost.” As a managed multiservice demarcation point between the network operator and the customer for intelligent wavelength service delivery, the LightStack MXA not only cost effectively delivers services to enterprises, but it also opens up the wholesale market for access and inter-Central Office (CO) transport applications. Access providers can now sell access to an enterprise or to multiple providers on a per wavelength basis, doubling or tripling their monthly access revenue potential off of a single fiber.

The LightStack MXA now offers three types of service modules – the SONET/SDH Service Module (SSM), the Gigabit Enhancement Module (GEM) and the Optical Add/Drop Mux (OADM):

"TeleChoice has extensively modeled Internet Photonics' solutions using standard industry data and, when using reasonable assumptions on service pricing and provider internal costs, have found that the solutions generate immediate EBITDA profits on extremely low initial customer take rates," says Pat Hurley, Broadband Analyst at TeleChoice. "In fact, the models generate enough cost savings within the first few months to fund additional roll-outs, making the adoption all the more easier for cash-strapped operators."

The LightStack MXA is a 1.5U high (2.6 inch) modular platform that accommodates up to two active modules and one passive CWDM module. Adaptable to existing network management methods and procedures, the LightStack MXA supports standard element and network management system interfaces, including Transaction Language 1 (TL1), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Command Line Interface (CLI) and graphical Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

The LightStack MXA is NEBS compliant and completed interoperability with the TelcordiaÔ TIRKSÒ System as part of its rapid progression through the Telcordia OSMINE Services Process. The GEM, provisioned for 10/100 Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and/or Fibre Channel/FICON services, is available now.

Internet Photonics Inc.