NEWS BRIEFS

Linthicum, MD. — Cisco Systems, Inc., a worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, and CIENA Corp., a global leader in intelligent optical networking systems, announced the first successful interoperability test of 10Gbps Very Short Reach (VSR) optics.

VSR promises to speed deployments of OC-192 links to scale Internet Points of Presence (POPs) while lowering overall connectivity costs by as much as 40 percent.

To demonstrate this important new technology, Cisco and CIENA announced today the successful completion of 10Gbps OC-192/STM-64 interoperability testing between the Cisco 12000 Series Internet Routers and CIENA’s MultiWave CoreDirector intelligent optical core switching system using the open multi-vendor-developed VSR optical interface.

The VSR protocol utilizes low-cost technologies developed for Gigabit Ethernet networking and uses a 12-element array of 850-nanometer lasers, each operating at 1.25 Gbps. VSR’s parallel optic interconnect technology provides the foundation for more affordable intra-office interconnections at 40Gbps and 80Gbps speeds.

“With this demonstration, CIENA and Cisco are working to drive down the high network costs that service providers face in delivering high-speed, high-capacity services,” said Elizabeth Perry, senior vice president, Switching Divisions and Network Management Systems at CIENA.

“Service providers are under pressure to lower operating costs and increase the level of customization they provide to their customers. We believe that this interface represents one of the fastest steps toward making customized next-generation service offerings more affordable for both the provider and the customer.”

By providing interoperable VSR 10Gbps connections between core IP and optical networking equipment, service providers can scale the deployment of core IP networks. This enables service providers to significantly lower the total costs of connecting co-located network elements, including switches, routers, optical cross-connects and DWDM transport gear.

“This successful interoperability test represents an important milestone for service provider networks moving to 10Gbps core IP infrastructures,” says Tony Bates, vice president and general manager of Cisco’s Internet POP Systems Business Unit.

“This effort reflects our continued commitment to delivering innovative technology on the Cisco 12000 routing platform and Cisco’s optical portfolio. With VSR optics, service providers can deploy a low-cost, standards-based 10Gbps optics solution months ahead of other proposed technologies.”

The VSR interoperability test was performed over 300 meters of multi-mode ribbon fiber. Current 10Gbps optical interfaces defined by SONET and SDH standards are designed for transmission distances of two kilometers or more, and therefore result in excessively high component costs when used for the very short distance requirements often encountered in intra-office applications.

The concept of using parallel optics as the basis for a low-cost OC-192 interface was first proposed to the industry by Cisco in October 1999. Since then Cisco and CIENA have worked to garner support within the vendor community and to define an open specification within industry standards-setting groups. Cisco information is available at http://www.cisco.com .

CIENA Corporation’s market-leading optical networking systems form the core for the new era of networks and services worldwide. CIENA’s LightWorks architecture enables next-generation optical services and changes the fundamental economics of service-provider networks by simplifying the network and reducing the cost to operate it. Additional information about CIENA can be found at http://www.ciena.com .

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