Marconi Unveils WDM PlatformMarconi Unveils WDM Platform

LONDON -- Marconi Corporation plc (London: MONI) today announced that it is to launch a new scalable Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) multi-haul, multi-service transmission platform. Called the SmartPhotoniXTM Multihaul, it is the latest evolution of Marconi's SmartPhotoniX transmission technology. Marconi's staff will be available at the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) in Rimini, Italy, on 21-25th September 2003 to discuss the next-generation transmission product and the company's wider optical research and development programmes.

The multihaul platform has been developed to reduce the total cost of ownership of WDM systems and to increase revenue opportunities for operators, enabling the provision of new carrier-class services and improve profitability from the edge of their networks to the core. It has also been developed to inter-work seamlessly with Marconi's MSH2Koptical Switch, providing a highly cost-effective, integrated core solution.

Marconi created the SmartPhotoniX Multihaul as a scaleable multi-haul, building-block platform capable of meeting any transmission network requirement with minimal up-front costs and considerably lower operational costs. It provides operators with a range of transmission spans, from the metropolitan scale up to ultra-long-haul distances of 4000km.

"In today's highly competitive market, service providers' needs are focused mainly on reducing operational and capital expenditure. As a consequence vendors of optical network equipment are reviewing their current product portfolios. Marconi's new multi-haul platform is a cost-effective product evolution that will allow service providers to minimise operational expenditures and enhance network services," says Alejandra van de Roer, research Analyst at IDC's European Telecommunications and Networking.

"The basic philosophy is that by providing operators with a common WDM platform we can introduce flexibility in the provisioning of bandwidth while reducing the costs of spares, training and system proving costs," says Martin Harriman, chief marketing officer, Marconi Corporation. "The SmartPhotoniX Multihaul's modular and flexible architecture will be a cost-effective solution to meet current operator demands, as well as providing the foundation for future WDM needs."

The SmartPhotoniX Multihaul has been designed for simple installation, with "plug and play" features that reduce the time taken to provision new services. This improves the responsiveness of operators' networks to end-user needs, for example in lighting up additional wavelengths to satisfy bandwidth demand. The SmartPhotoniX Multihaul integrates Marconi's extensive experience in Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) optical transmission and includes optical bypass technologies for traffic passing straight through a node, eliminating the need for costly signal regeneration.

Significantly, SmartPhotoniX Multihaul is based on Marconi's field-proven SmartPhotoniX technology, which has been deployed by operators worldwide. It includes fully integrated management functions, performed by Marconi's ServiceOn Optical network management system.

Marconi Corp. plc