INNOVATION IS NEEDED. NOW.

The management of the physical layer of fiber networks has not seen a lot of innovation in the last decade. MANUAL ODFs usually terminate the fibers on a connector. This connection point provides the flexibility required for reconfiguration, future upgrades, redundancy or test-access.


Reconfiguration of the physical fibers is necessary today, and will remain necessary in the future.
Every time an activity is required on the ODF or street cabinet, a truck roll and a manual intervention will be necessary. These interventions are expensive, require 24/7 availability of skilled technicians and the risk of making errors is substantial. In some cases, the ODF or street cabinet becomes a big issue in the network, if the fibers are not managed in the correct way. Furthermore, the information database is not always in line with the reality, because every change in the network needs to be reported in the database system manually.


Therefore, a few companies have been looking at making AUTOMATED ODFs. Most of the full optical switches available on the market today, are high-end products that are too costly for use in dark fiber or access networks. Their feature-set (switching time, scalability, optical losses,...) is somewhat different from what will be required in these networks. Therefore, fully automated ODFs have not been deployed in large scale.

 

The market needs a product that addresses all these issues, and generates the following benefits:

  • Reduce OpEx
  •  Increase Revenues Through "Instant" Provisioning of Links
  •  Reduce Truck Rolls and generate a cleaner environment (CO2 reduction)
  •  Efficiently Utilize Line Cards and Transmission Gear
  •  Provide Economical 1+N Protection Switching
  •  Automate Validation Testing and Provisioning
  •  Provide Zero Latency, Energy Efficient Light-Path Switching Instead of Opto-Electronic Switching
  •  Reduce the Need for Technicians and Manual Intervention Leading to Potential Service Disruptions
  •  Provide Greater Flexibility to Proactively Schedule and Perform Maintenance

 

OUR APPROACH : THE SEMI-AUTOMATED ODF

  • "Double layer" architecture combines the best of the passive and automated world
  • Same optical and mechanical performance as a manual ODF
  • Same reliability as a manual ODF (e.g. no signal loss in case of power failure)
  • Allows for configuration, reconfiguration without a manual intervention or truck roll
  • Fully automated test access (in-line or off-line)
  • Manual interventions are possible at all times
  • Scheduled maintenance required depending on (re)configuration frequency.
  • Interconnect (inputs to outputs) & cross connect (any port to any port) configurations
  • Upgrade possibility : from 'manual' to 'automated'
  • Automate 'temporary'
  • Scalable (10s to 1000s) and Dense (up to 6400 F/m2)
  • Indoor (rack) and OSP (cabinet) operation
  • ROI of max. 3 years in access networks
  • Information database always in sync with reality
  • Using industry-standard components
  • Front-access for all components allows for side-to-side and back-to-back configurations
  • Specific features for 'open-access' networks
  • Low power consumption allows for off-grid (solar) applications