In a move one analyst described as “overdue”, Lucent Technologies Inc. recently unveiled a new series of products, the WaveStar 10G product line.
The new line will bring 10Gbps networking capabilities to local ISP networks, according to the company.
Lucent’s group president of optical networking, Harry Bosco, introduced the WaveStar DataExpress 10G as the first “product that really tries to integrate IP and optical. It will enable emerging carriers to build local data networks that are four times faster than today, while providing up to 60 per cent cost savings.”
The company unveiled seven other products for the 10 gigabit OC-192/STM-64 area.
“They were supposed to have released this thing some time ago, and for whatever reason they didn’t,” said Ken Kelly, a senior analyst with San Jose, Calif.-based Dataquest Inc. “Obviously the reason is they embedded it in something that’s a bigger offering than just an OC-192 offering, because the 10G (announcement)is more than just the OC-192. It’s kind of a package deal.”
Many of the bottlenecks facing the Internet and data networks reside in the local network rings, said Lucent’s Bosco. The WaveStar will break through those bottlenecks, enabling carriers and ISPs to build more reliable and faster networks.
Bosco explained there are three versions of a standalone networking solution “that will provide 10 gigabit networking for long-distance and metro networks. Lucent now offers a two-fibre SONET version, a four-fibre SONET version and a two-fibre SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) version of this product,” he said.
The four-fibre system will work as an extra level of protection against multiple network failures, while the two-fibre system would be better for carriers who do not need that same level of protection but want a more cost-efficient solution, according to the company.
The remaining four products in the new line are interfaces that bring 10 gigabit capability to Lucent’s WaveStar Bandwidth Manager.
“This will enable our customers not only to increase the speed of their networks, but also manage the wavelengths on which the information is travelling,” Bosco explained.
The WaveStar 10G product line was designed with an open architecture, Bosco said, because Lucent knows its “customers are going to mix other vendors’ equipment in with our products, and we have to stand on our own and compete.”
Customers can select what they need to fit their configuration and size, as the company said it wants its customers to be able to grow.
Dataquest’s Kelly said these offerings should please customers.
“It kind of gives them a package deal where they can aggregate lower signals, like the OC-3, OC-12, OC-48, and then bring that up into the OC-192, and then pump it out,” he explained. “And that’s good because companies are looking for multiple systems instead of just putting individual systems in. If they can put a lot of things into one box for smaller floor space and less cost, the carriers are going to buy it. So it’s a good thing for the carriers.”
The WaveStar DataExpress 10G, which was designed by Bell Labs, is now available to select customers globally. Five of the other products announced will be available at the end of the month, and the rest will be released by the end of this summer.
Lucent, which indicated power consumption and space requirements can be reduced by up to 40 per cent with this family of products, did not have any pricing available for publication.
Lucent in Canada is at www.lucent.ca.