OpVista Unveils Ethernet-Friendly AnyWave Optical Network Approach

OpVista Inc. today joined the ranks of optical network vendors that have come out with architectures to support carrier Ethernet transport networks. The company unveiled at OFC its Anywave Optical Network architecture along with two new products, WaveWeaver and Etherwave.

The approach has supporters in service providers such as Cox Communications Inc. and Time Warner Communications.

According to Dawn Hogh, vice president of marketing, OpVista’s AnyWave approach is a departure from other carrier Ethernet transport strategies that require “forklift” upgrades or lack capacity and scalability to support true next-gen services. “What AnyWave delivers is infrastructure reuse,” she said. “We are able to bring yesterday’s and today’s networks into the future and that’s all about scalable capacity. It’s delivering connectivity anytime, anywhere in the network. It’s bringing reliability to Ethernet with network resiliency. And, through all of these capabilities, it’s enabling capex and opex reduction.”

Addressing these four functions, the AnyWave optical network includes OpVista’s Ultra-DWDM and new WaveWeaver for scaling network capacity, the S-ROADM and optical multicast capability for any-to-any connectivity, OpVista’s Switched Ring architecture for network resiliency, and the gearmaker’s new EtherWave for capex/opex reduction.

“With all of these capabilities, you truly get a service-independent transport network to cost-effectively enable all types of services,” said Hogh. “We believe the Anywave Optical Network is the most cost-effective way to transform your existing infrastructure into a carrier Ethernet-ready network.”

OpVista’s Ultra-DWDM delivers 10GB wavelengths over a 2.5GB infrastructure. “Because we are transmitting at 2.5g speeds, now we don’t have to worry about dispersion compensation or regeneration. We can actually go up to 1000km,” said Hogh, explaining this eliminates costs.

In addition to Ultra-DWDM, OpVista is introduction WaveWeaver. Hogh said the technology was born from an existing customer dilemma wherein its second-generation DWDM system was maxed out at 40 wavelengths. With no ability to lay more fiber, OpVista has taken the company’s existing DWDM system that uses 100GHz spacing and interleaved another 40 wavelengths, offset by 50GHz spacing. “Now, you have a total of 80 wavelengths or 800GB of capacity over that existing fiber,” she said, noting OpVista supports network monitoring for wavelength drift on its own and the installed DWDM systems.

Any to any capabilities are enabled with OpVista’s modular ROADM, which includes a broadcast-and-select architecture based on broadband couplers and tunable filters instead of a wavelength selective switch. “When a wavelength comes in, we use a broadband coupler, add it on to the line side. Now that wavelength is visible at all nodes,” said Hogh. “When you want to pull a wavelength off at any receiving node, all you do is tune the receiving filter to that wavelength. It’s very scalable. There is no high upfront cost because it’s on a per-wavelength basis. Sparing is easy with 1xN sparing as one card can tune to any wavelength.”

OpVista deploys its ROADM in a Switched Ring Architecture, which unlike SONET, allows for unlimited number of nodes. “With our any-to-any architecture, all wavelengths are bringing broadcast to all nodes. If you don’t somehow break the ring, you are going to have wavelengths recirculating and noise recirculating in the system,” said Hogh. “You need to stop that. The switch in the central node does that.” She added that in event of an actual fiber break, the switch in the hub node closes, so the wavelength delivery continues unhindered.

A final component to the AnyWave architecture is the new EtherWave technology. “What we are doing with EtherWave is adding layer 2 switching capabilities to the system,” said Hogh, noting this enables carriers to eliminate high-cost routers and the edge as well as associated opex. “It gives you a cost-effective Ethernet aggregation solution.”

Hogh said the AnyWave approach is distinguished by its infrastructure reuse and optimization when compared to OEO, other DWDM and IP over DWDM solutions, which each hit a ceiling in their scalability that requires the addition of more gear at each node to grow to higher capacities.

OpVista also today announced the completion of a core network capacity upgrade for Cox Communications throughout the service provider’s Connecticut and Rhode Island networks. Started in the middle of 2006, the network upgrade features OpVista’s AnyWave Optical Network architecture and products, giving Cox Communications a single DWDM platform scalable to 800GB to support new 10gigE services.

“The completion of this core capacity upgrade enables Cox Communications to provide enhanced, high-speed services with faster turn-up of services throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island. We have a network that can respond to customer needs today and in the future, whatever services they might require,” said Chris Saunders, director of network technology for Cox Communications New England.

OpVista Inc. www.opvista.com

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