NEC America Introduces ROADM

Leveraging its optical networking experience in core and long-haul networks, NEC America Inc. announced this week the launch of its first WDM system for metro and regional networks, the SpectralWave 4240 ROADM.

“The ROADM brings dynamics to the metro environment,” says Rich Moran, director of product marketing for NEC’s Optical Network Services Group, explaining that technology removes obstacles to WDM’s success in metro networks that undergo more frequent change to add new services, for example, than do those in the long haul.

Unlike other WDM vendors, NEC is taking its experience in the long-haul but not its product into the metro, Moran says. “Some vendors are reworking their long-haul products for the metro,” he says, noting SpectralWave 4240 is a completely new system.

The NEC 4240 includes add-drop capability at any node, full-band tunable transponders, integrated SONET-on-a-blade multiplexers, and upgradeability to wavelength cross-connect configuration. Transport topologies supported by the NEC 4240 include optical rings, point-to-point, and linear-chain.

Among the things brought from the long-haul experience, says Moran, are the ability to manage and control the power of the optical signal, or automatic gain control. “This is something that has held metro WDM back,” he adds.

In addition, SpectralWAve 4240 will reuse the service interfaces for GigE, 10GigE, STM-64, STM-16, etc. These will be combined with the ROADM in one shelf. “Having a single shelf to do services interfaces as well as add-drop is cost effective at low-density sites [common in a typical metro ring],” he says.

Further, he says, NEC will reuse its technology for providing protection on a wavelength basis.

The system is available today with pricing approaching SONET mux levels in a basic configuration, and Moran says it already has been purchased by an unnamed North American carrier.

Initially, it will be available with a two-degree wavelength blocker. In March of 2006, a wavelength selectable switch will be added.

The 4240 is the first product in NEC's new-generation optical transport series. The manufacturer says its plans to rollout additional products, services and software throughout 2005 and 2006.

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