Macomnet brings dark fiber pairs to IXcellerate data center

Macomnet, a joint venture of Moscow Metro and Andrew Corp., says it has delivered 64 dark fiber pairs to IXcellerate, the Russian Alliance Member of the International Data Centre Group. The delivery is part of Phase I construction of IXcellerate’s Moscow 1 Data Center. This phase continues after completion of a temporary “meet-me-room” and steel works.

IXcellerate is a data center project founded by Guy Willner, founder and former CEO of IXEurope and former president Europe for Equinix Inc., and Cliff Gauntlett, former senior vice president of Golden Telecom. The project seeks to build and operate a 6,200-sq-m carrier-neutral data center in Moscow on a 15,000-sq-m campus. The construction process has three phases, with the first 1000-sq-m scheduled to be operational in the fourth quarter of this year.

Macomnet says the dark fibers will provide IXcellerate with the capacity and flexibility to accommodate future growth, as well as improve reliability and performance.

Infonetics: Optical network systems revenue jumps 15% in 2Q12

After a down quarter over the first three months of 2012 (see "Infonetics: Optical network spending slips 23% in 1Q12"), optical network systems manufacturers saw sales increase sequentially by 15% in 2012, according to market research firm Infonetics Research. However, year-on-year, 2Q12 was off 10% Infonetics says in its 2Q12 Optical Network Hardware vendor market share report.

For many companies, future prospects depend on their product mix, says Infonetics

"The optical hardware market outlook looks decidedly different depending on which market you sell into," explains Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst for optical at Infonetics Research. "While spending on WDM is reasonably healthy, SONET/SDH is sailing off a cliff. Vendors who have good WDM products but large exposure to SONET/SDH are struggling to replace lost revenue fast enough to show growth."

For example, North American SONET/SDH spending shrank 45% in the second quarter year-over-year. Those companies with heavy exposure to AT&T suffered in particular, as that carrier has cut its SONET spending significantly. Overall, WDM equipment now accounts for 80% of all optical spending in North America, according to Infonetics.

Huawei extended its market share lead during the quarter, thanks in part to an uptick in spending by carriers in the Asia Pacific sector. Winds from this direction will continue to fill Huawei’s sails as well as boost ZTE, Schmitt believes. "Asia Pacific notched a big increase in the second quarter, with large seasonal gains by Huawei and ZTE,” he says. “Despite tepid growth in the first half of 2012, we expect significant growth in optical spending in China, where ZTE continues to take market share from Huawei."

TWC Inserts 120 Ruckus Wi-Fi APs for DNC

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Ruckus Wireless™ announced today that Time Warner Cable has deployed its ZoneFlex™ family of high capacity Smart Wireless LAN (WLAN) systems to deliver high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the 19,000-seat Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. The deployment by Time Warner Cable of Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi is in place and ready to support all arena patrons, including those attending the 2012 Democratic National Convention, which takes place at Time Warner Cable Arena this week. The new Time Warner Cable Arena Wi-Fi network replaces a legacy Wi-Fi network with 120+ purpose-built, ZoneFlex high-capacity, indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi access points with integrated adaptive antenna arrays that focus signals only where they are needed, steering transmissions around obstacles while mitigating interference.

MRV offers OptiSwitch Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Ethernet demarcation and aggregation

MRV Communications, Inc. (OTCQB: MRVC) (PINKSHEETS: MRVC) has expanded its OptiSwitch Carrier Ethernet Access product line with the introduction of a demarcation-to-aggregation portfolio that comprises the OptiSwitch 906G and OptiSwitch 9244-1210G models.

The OptiSwitch 906G is a Carrier Ethernet 2.0 demarcation platform designed for a wide range of deployment scenarios. It supports a range of Layer 2 to Layer 3 IP services including Layer 2 Carrier Ethernet, Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), and IPv4/IPv6 routing. The OS906G also offers hardware-based multi-layer operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) tools and integrated probes for end-to-end proactive speech and video quality and performance measurements.

Meanwhile, the OptiSwitch 9244-1210G is a first-mile, 10-Gigabit Ethernet Carrier Ethernet packet-optical aggregation platform. It offers Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, 2.5-Gbps and 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds to help offload provider edge router ports. MRV says the OS9244-1210G offers a very high port density to form factor ratio with the lowest relative power consumption in a non-blocking architecture with a total capacity of 200 GB.

Support of 2.5-Gbps enables service providers to offer higher-speed services without the cost of a 10-Gigabit Ethernet port, MRV says. This feature supports new revenue streams without adding additional costs, the company asserts.

The company’s Pro-Vision service provisioning and network management system enables “zero-touch” service creation over the OptiSwitch 906G and OptiSwitch 9244-1210G platforms and offers reporting and service portals for improved real-time monitoring capabilities, MRV adds.

"Service providers are happy that Carrier Ethernet services are one of the fastest-growing market segments today, and in order to meet that demand, they need intelligent, flexible Carrier Ethernet platforms," stated Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst at Infonetics Research, via an MRV press release. "MRV's new OptiSwitch models are designed to help service providers create, offer and deliver new service options and higher capacities, including 10GbE backbone transport for aggregated Carrier Ethernet traffic and 10GbE port optimization for the provider edge."

"As service providers worldwide look to deploy an ever growing number of business Ethernet, mobile backhaul and wholesale Ethernet transport services, they need a solution that offers superior intelligence along with efficient, flexible, and scalable bandwidth capacity," said Zeev Draer, vice president of strategic marketing for MRV's OCS division. "Our customers select our field-proven, low-power, high-density OptiSwitch Carrier Ethernet Access solutions including demarcation and aggregation to enable them to meet their capacity need today and to provide migration path for converged layers along anticipated growth in customers and new service offerings in the future."

Zayo Group moves towards full ownership of USCarrier

Zayo Group is once again in acquisition mode, this time announcing that it has agreed to acquire the half of USCarrier Telecom, LLC it doesn’t already own. Zayo will pay $13.5 million in cash to complete the acquisition.

Zayo initially acquired approximately 50% of the company when it bought American Fiber Systems in October 2010 (see "Zayo Group to acquire American Fiber Systems").

USCarrier is a regional fiber-based bandwidth services provider that operates in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee. Its 3,700-mile fiber network connects cities such as Atlanta, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Nashville, and Chattanooga, as well as 40 smaller cities in the Southeast U.S. The company offers Ethernet and wavelength services.

"Extending the reach of Zayo's network with USCarrier's footprint allows us to offer broader solutions to our customers as well as deliver end-to-end national and international connectivity to these markets," says Glenn Russo, executive vice president for corporate strategy and development for Zayo Group. "The transport services that USCarrier provides fit well with Zayo's focus on core high-bandwidth services."

Bookham announces 5-Gbit/sec DWDM SFP

The transceiver, which Bookham believes to be the fastest DWDM SFP module available, is designed to operate in high-noise, amplified environments and is targeted at multi-span links for metro networks. The module can deliver output power from +3 dBm to +6 dBm, has channel spacing of 100-GHz, and offers full C- and L-band coverage. Bookham says it has also achieved an uncompensated reach of 400 km at 2.5 Gbits/sec with a multi-rate DWDM SFP, continuing the evolution of the company's high-performance pluggable product range. The portfolio offers DWDM options for all transmission speeds and network protocols, including Ethernet, Fiber Channel, and SONET/SDH. All designs are underpinned by the same proven optical engines, says the company, including the Bookham Avalanche Photodiode (APD) receiver and buried-heterostructure directly-modulated laser. "We are continually developing the performance of our pluggable modules to retain our leading technology position in the pluggable WDM sector and meet the breadth of demands from our customer base," reports vice president of telecom sales Yves Le Maitre. "Boasting the highest speed and the longest reach in SFP WDM pluggable optics, coupled with outstanding stability and tolerance to low OSNR links, is a great achievement for the design team. We are confident that we can continue to grow our market share in this highly competitive space." In addition to these transceivers, the Bookham WDM SFP portfolio offers standard optical power devices in both multi-protocol (SONET, Ethernet, and 4-Gbit/sec Fiber Channel) and multi-rate (100-Mbit/sec to 2.7-Gbit/sec) variants as well as equivalent versions with higher optical power levels (5.5 dBm typical). All these parts are available in C- and L-band wavelengths. For 4-Gbit/sec Fiber Channel applications, Bookham says it has specific DWDM and CWDM parts targeted at 80-km point-to-point links. According to company representatives, this wide range ensures that Bookham is able to meet the demands of customers operating all WDM systems based on pluggable optics.

SFP optical module diagnostic functions application

Use of intelligent optical modules, network management unit can be real-time monitoring of transceiver module temperature, supply voltage, laser bias current, as well as transmit and receive optical power.The measurement of these parameters, you can help manage the unit to identify the location of the fiber link failure, simplify maintenance, improve system reliability.This article describes how to use the optical module of the digital diagnostic functions positioning system failure.
Digital diagnostic functions
SFF-8472 MSA specification digital diagnostic functions and SFF-8472 details.The specification states that the circuit board inside the module detection and digital parameter signal.Then, after calibration or digital measurement results and calibration parameters.This information is stored in the memory structure of the standard, in order to read through the dual-cable serial interface.The SFF-8472 to retain the original SFP / GBIC in the address A0h at the address mapping and address A2h new a 256-byte storage unit.In addition to the parameter detection information, the storage unit defines the warning signs or warning condition, the state of each pin image, limited ability to control the digital and user-written storage unit.
What is part of the information stored in the address space:
1) Real-time measurement parameters
      Emitted light power Tx_power
     Received optical power Rx_power
     Temperature temp
    Operates at Vcc
     Laser bias Laser Bias
2) Alarm or alarm
      Tx_faul
     LOS measurement of the parameters of the alarm and the alarm flag
3) control flag
      Tx_disable
      Rate_select
The application of digital diagnostic functions
Troubleshooting features in the optical transceiver system provides a means of performance testing, system management can help to predict the life of the transceiver module, the failure of the isolation system and to verify the compatibility of the module in the on-site installation.
Module life prediction
This failure to predict that allows network managers to find potential link failure in the system performance affected. Failure notice, the system administrator can business to switch to the backup link or replace a suspicious device, which in the case of non-stop services to repair the system.
Only SFP provides a real-time parameter detection means of the laser degradation of a prediction.The optical module within the optical power feedback control unit will control the output power in a stable level, but with the aging of the laser, the quantum efficiency of the laser will be reduced.The power control is achieved by increasing the laser bias current (Tx_Bias).Therefore, we can predict the life of the laser through the detection of the laser bias current.This method can be a rough estimate of the life of the laser near the end.Temp and Vcc, laser bias current and module temperature and voltage have a relationship, so the need to consider when setting the bias current limit.
By real-time monitoring of transceiver module within the operating voltage and temperature, allowing the system administrator to find some potential problems:
1) the Vcc voltage is too high, will bring the breakdown of the CMOS device; the Vcc voltage is too low, the laser is not working properly.
2) accept the power is too high, can damage the receiver module.
3) The operating temperature is too high, will accelerate the aging of the device.
In addition, the received optical power monitoring, and can monitor the performance of the lines and the remote transmitter.
Fault location
In the optical link, locate the fault, an unknown critical to business fast loading. The fault isolation feature allows system administrators to quickly locate the position of a link failure. This feature can locate the fault line in the module; local modules or remote modules. By quickly locate the fault, reducing the repair time of system failure.
Fault status, a comprehensive analysis of the status bits, pins and measurement parameters.
In short, digital diagnostic functions, you can locate the fault.Fault location on Tx_power Rx_power, Temp, and Vcc, Tx_Bias, warning and alarm status of a comprehensive analysis.State variables in the memory mirroring Tx Fault and Rx LOS (loss of signal) on the failure analysis plays an important role.
Verified for compatibility
Another feature of digital diagnostic module compatibility verification. Compatibility verification is the analysis module of the working environment in line with the Data Sheet and the relevant standard compatible. Module performance can be ensured only in the work environment that is compatible. In some cases, due to environmental parameters beyond the data sheet or the relevant standards, will cause the module performance degradation, and thus transmission error.
Working environment and the modules are not compatible:
1) the voltage beyond the specified scope
2) the received optical power overload or below the receiver sensitivity
3) the temperature exceeds the operating temperature range