WDM and Next Generation Optical Networking -- NICE, France and STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Transmode, a global supplier of packet optical networking solutions, today announced the launch of the PT-Fabric, a next-generation modular terabit switching solution that takes Packet Transport and Ethernet switching in metro access, metro aggregation and metro core networks to terabit levels and 100G networking.

Transmode's new PT-Fabric extends the company's Native Packet Optical architecture to terabit switching with a new optical frontplane-equipped EMXP III switching unit supporting up to 960Gbit/s of switching in a single module. The innovative optical frontplane takes VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser) technology used in supercomputing and brings it to data transport equipment for the first time. This new frontplane is used to create the PT-Fabric by interconnecting the EMXP III switch with 10G and 100G I/O modules or directly to local third-party switches or routers.

The frontplane enables the PT-Fabric to be deployed in any combination of available slots in single or multiple TM-Series chassis and in any of the approximately 20,000 medium or large sized TM-Series chassis shipped to date. Multiple PT-Fabrics can be deployed in a single chassis giving a total of 4 terabits of switching within a chassis.

With power consumption at low as 20 watts per 100G, when equipped with eight 100G ports, and very high switching density, the PT-Fabric is industry leading in terms of low-power and high-density for products within this class. The PT-Fabric is planned to be available in Q4 2015.

Sten Nordell, Transmode's Chief Technology Officer, commented, "Transmode has been at the forefront of the rapid migration to metro and regional packet-optical transport solutions and was the leading vendor of P-OTS products in EMEA in 2014, according to analyst firm IHS Infonetics. The introduction of the PT-Fabric scales our P-OTS networks to terabit switching and true 100G networking. This is achieved while maintaining Transmode's core values of cost efficiency throughout the lifespan of the product coupled with high performance in key transport characteristics such as latency, superior synchronization support and high levels of Ethernet and MPLS-TP functionality."

The Native Packet Optical architecture now extends from customer premise demarcation devices, to the EMXP II/IIe family for 1G/10G to 10G/100G metro aggregation and now to the PT-Fabric for 10G/100G networking in the metro. This is all supported with a common set of CE2.0-based functionality and common software spans applications from the customer premise to the core network. Recent software releases for the entire family include industry leading P-OTS capabilities such as advanced 1+1 and N+N Multi-Chassis LAG and Ring on LAG protection schemes for highly resilient network architectures.

Transmode Systems AB