SUPERCOMM SHOW NEWS: SUPERCOMM in Brief

Show News

ADTRAN at SUPERCOMM is introducing the OPTI-MX, which the company says provides a new level of muxing flexibility. The product can take in OC3s and OC12s and outputs DS1s, DS3s, STS1/EC1 and 10/100 Ethernet connections. The new device, slated for general availability this quarter, is a follow up to the company's OPTI3, which is a small DS3 wall-mount unit popular for cell site applications, says David Williams, market manager. ADTRAN will be showcasing its DSLAMs, fiber access, legacy loop products and element management systems.

Media and Messaging

IP Unity at SUPERCOMM will highlight products introduced this month including a new release of its media server that supports Voice XML and SIP as well as enhancements to its messaging and conferencing solutions. The company has upgraded its messaging product with new configurable menus for voice messaging, so the product can interoperate seamlessly with legacy networks. Also new are customized call routing and configurable menus for auto attendant. The ability to customize key mapping means that users can change which buttons on their phones control which functions. Other new additions include multilanguage support and Outlook integration. New additions to IP Unity's conferencing solution include a feature currently called burst out, which automates the set up of conference calls. Also new on the conferencing end are the ability to record and play back conferences via the Internet or phone, and integration with Outlook.

Taking the Metro

PacketLight Networks will showcase at SUPER-COMM its recently introduced integrated metro access platform called the PL-1000 as well as its new metro DWDM and metro multiplexer suites.

Sweep Deal

EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. at SUPER-COMM is launching the next-generation FTB-5500B Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) Analyzer. This portable instrument can sweep through erbium-doped fiber amplifiers and enables field technicians to characterize PMD levels in an entire optical network with a single touch of a button. Optical links must be measured for PMD, especially when upgrading to trans-mission rates of 10gbps or when deploying a cascade of amplifiers. It can characterize an entire link, with a dynamic range above 50 dB and PMD range from 0 to 115 ps, in less than five seconds.

Shaker Furniture

A new 9,700-square foot dedicated facility for network equipment -- building systems (NEBS) and environmental testing is now available at Southwest Research Institute. "We now offer more and improved dynamic test facilities," says Timothy A. Fey, NEBS program manager and manager of the Mechanical Sciences Section in SwRI's Mechanical and Materials Engineering Division. "We saw a need to better meet clients' schedules and to help them get their product to market more quickly. Most of our NEBS testing is centralized in this building, providing greater safety and control standards for the clients' products. Product moves are minimized, increasing efficiency in testing time and also reducing risk to the equipment." To meet clients' needs for testing larger items, SwRI engineers designed two shaker tables for the facility. The tables, one for vertical excitation and the other for horizontal, are each 7 feet by 7 feet in size and can test specimens that weigh up to 10,000 pounds.

Tomorrow Now

Morrow Technologies' VigilCom line of spectrum analyzers includes two models designed specifically for wireless applications, the VC900 and VC-PCS. The analyzers make it possible to remotely monitor cell site performance, thus eliminating interference, the potential for downtime, lessened quality of service, and ultimately customer dissatisfaction. Both of the VigilCom wireless products feature Morrow's Virtual Front Panel software, which gives service providers continuous true real-time remote monitoring of important base station parameters such as ACPR, channel power, statistical power measurements and standard spectrum analysis functions. Morrow recently enhanced the line with a dynamic software package for CDMA, cdmaONE and Cdma2000 applications.

Wireless Tracking

In other wireless news at SUPERCOMM, Sprint North Supply is spotlighting its new mobile logistics features. The capabilities enable wireless providers to track inventory at virtually any point in their supply chain or network.

Good Grooming

In other show news, Aculab will feature its IP telephony portfolio and demonstrate for the first time the new 1U variant of its GroomerII high-density routing and switch platform, which provides interconnection between incompatible networks around the world.

Stacking Chips

At the show GlobespanVirata Inc. will be highlighting what it calls its highly integrated Argon III Plus CAPE chip set with G.Span extended rate and reach technology. The product offers rates starting at 16mbps with 30 percent greater reach over existing high-speed ADSL solutions. Argon III Plus offers a highly integrated analog front end, which the company says lowers bill of material costs. Argon III Plus with G.Span also addresses all existing worldwide standards and is fully upgradeable to the new International Telecommunications Union's ADSL2 and ADSL+ standards.

Standing Guard

CITEL INC. has expanded its SurgeGuard family of AC power line surge protectors. The new enhanced offerings include products with surge capabilities up to 400kA (8/20µs) and 60kA (10/350µs). The SurgeGuard 400, 300, 200, 165 and 125 provide protection against both conducted and induced transient overvoltages that may be caused by direct lightning strikes, utility switching or other random electrical disturbances.

Empowering Telcos

EnerSys Inc. Reserve Power Group has released a new increased power-to-size, front terminal valve-regulated lead-acid battery. Through grid and plate optimization, the 12V165F battery offers an increased capacity to 165 Ah, providing more power in the same standard footprint as the previous 12V155AH model. The new 12V165F is an extension of EnerSys' PowerSafe V range of front terminal VRLA batteries, designed for applications that require high power in a limited space. The unit's compact monobloc design and standard footprint make the product suitable for 23-inch racks and enables increased energy density. The use of gas recombination technology reduces storage requirements and maintenance costs by eliminating the need for regular watering intervals, and producing a minimal level of gas evolution in the battery, so it can be safely installed in cabinets or on stands, in offices or near main equipment. The new 12V165F has a capacity of 165 Ah at the 8-hour rate to 1.75 Vpc at 20šC (68šF), and a design life of 15 years. Pricing for the new 12V165F starts at $460.

Supress the Surge

The AA300 Series integrated load center from Intersect lets users tailor protection against harmful voltage transients. The POP Box can be configured with up to ten modes of suppression behind the main utility breaker only, or behind both the main and auxiliary power service breakers. The unit features a 42 KAIC-rated ASCO automatic transfer switch that is UL 1008 listed and complies with NFPA 110 for emergency and standby power systems. The AA1220061, meanwhile, is equipped with a 22 KAIC-rated ASCO automatic transfer switch, which is also UL 1008 listed and NFPA 110 compliant, and features Strikesorb surge suppression. Housed in a robust aluminum enclosure, this new breed of suppression offers maximum protection against catastrophic failure. Intersect will demonstrate at SUPERCOMM how an in-field retrofit can upgrade the base model of this panel series, which uses a manual transfer switch, to the automatic switch, complete with factory warranty.

ADVA Additions

ADVA Optical Networking has added to its Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 2000 product a new coarse wavelength division multiplexing module set. The enhancement is aimed at helping service providers reduce their first installed cost and enabling them to migrate to a hybrid CWDM and dense WDM system. The new CWDM design can be configured with two or four channels in a network, and later upgraded to either a full eight-channel CWDM system or 20-channel CWDM and DWDM hybrid system. The company says this enables carriers and enterprises to implement a more cost-effective WDM solution today, analyze their bandwidth demand and future requirements, and later commit to additional CWDM or DWDM capabilities.

ADVA says the design provides a clear migration strategy with significant flexibility at 40 percent to 50 percent lower initial installation costs than a traditional DWDM system and significant ongoing opex savings by eliminating the need for training and additional spares for a separate system. The new CWDM module set was developed in response to small storage projects implemented by small- and medium-sized enterprises, that initially may require only two or three wavelengths but may need to add channels in the future as storage area network and local area network applications grow.

In other ADVA news, the company has introduced a new Slimline chassis version of its Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 3000 product. Targeted at transporting a limited number of high-bandwidth applications from customer premises sites to metro network infrastructure, ADVA's FSP 3000 Slimline significantly lowers capital and operating expenditures. The new FSP 3000 Slimline chassis measures a compact 19-inch width and three rack units in height, and holds up to two, instead of the usual eight, channel cards.

Metro Ethernet Demo

The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), an industry group that promotes adoption of Ethernet in metro networks worldwide, will offer the first public multivendor interoperability demonstration of carrier-grade metro Ethernet services. The network comprises equipment from 28 MEF member companies as part of SUPERCOMM's SUPERDemo showcase.

The MEF, Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance and RPR Alliance are co-hosting the Industry Standards Theater Center (Booth 10221. The MEF will provide updates on the development of the industry standards that will shape equipment development and network deployments over the next decade.

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