RAD Data Communications Inc. has launched the ETX-5300A Ethernet Service Aggregation Platform, which grooms Ethernet and TDM traffic from the access network to the provider’s edge (PE). The ETX-5300A can enable operators to substantially reduce their operational costs per Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) link, RAD asserts.
Conforming to emerging Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) CE 2.0 specifications, the new device offers a complete Carrier Ethernet ecosystem in combination with RAD’s demarcation network termination units (NIDs), according to RAD.
The company also claims that the new platform features the highest capacity-to-size ratio in the market. “RAD has applied its wide experience and technological expertise in access networks to design a central-site Carrier Ethernet solution tailor-made for pre-aggregation in larger networks but equally able to be deployed as a service hub in smaller operations or private networks,” said Amir Karo, vice president of marketing at RAD Data Communications.
“And we’ve addressed the ‘sweet spot’ for operators requiring full-blown functionality and high port capacity but packaged in a small-form factor box that uses less than half the power consumption than any competitive product in the market,” Karo added.
“RAD’s ETX-5300A is the type of solution that defines a next-generation Carrier Ethernet access/aggregation platform optimized for converging business, wholesale, and mobile backhaul services onto a single, operationally efficient network infrastructure,” offered Stan Hubbard, senior analyst, Heavy Reading. “Its high port density, hierarchical traffic management features, synchronization solution set, 10GbE ring support, and smooth service and network management integration with other Ethernet access platforms in RAD’s portfolio should resonate well with network operators looking to address a variety of applications.”
“To address current market pressures, service providers are looking to minimize costs and accomplish as much as possible with minimal equipment,” added Erin Dunne, director of research services at Vertical Systems Group. “With that in mind, their needs are best addressed by systems that intelligently aggregate and manage the most Ethernet traffic at the lowest cost and smallest footprint.”
The ETX-5300A aggregates up to 80xGbE or 16x10GbE access links into redundant 10GbE ports for transmission via DWDM, freeing PE capacity and significantly reducing capex and opex by cutting the price per link by half, or more, when working opposite RAD’s ETX Carrier Ethernet demarcation devices. It can also be deployed to deliver SLA-based business Ethernet services. The 3U-high device can easily be placed in street cabinets, basement communications rooms or crowded racks in their access POPs.
“The ETX-5300A includes powerful hierarchical traffic management features to increase service efficiency along with wholesale carrier-to-carrier ENNI connectivity for end-to-end network visibility and service mapping, as well as legacy TDM capabilities,” said Eyal Aloni, RAD’s ETX portfolio manager. “Moreover, it features an extensive toolset with an unsurpassed suite of advanced timing-over-packet synchronization technologies, including a 1588 Grandmaster Clock, so it can also be used to provide timing-over-packet services in wholesale networks and serve as a single instrument for empowering the convergence of business and mobile network services over the same infrastructure.”
