NGN2000: BREAKTHROUGHS IN OPTICAL SWITCHING, IS IT ALL DONE WITH MIRRORS?
“No its not, it’s all done with software,” said Jeff Kiel, VP & GM of Core Switching for Sycamore Networks.  Carriers will evolve their transport networks from DWDM to intelligent optical switching as a competitive differentiator, as a means of automating provisioning tasks, and for achieving the scalability required by the next wave of traffic growth.  Sycamore is using the OSPF protocol for routing and the MPLS protocol for signalling across the network.  Kiel emphasized the importance of software for building large, switched networks.  For example, to ensure true route diversity across the fiber infrastructure of one of its European customer, Sycamore has added a field into OSPF for tracking physical fiber conduits.  The added software intelligence enables lightpaths to be routed across diverse wavelengths, fiber, conduits and trenches. 

Harry Quackenboss, of CEO Brightlink Networks, said the top priorities for today’s carriers are the introduction of new differentiated services, maximizing existing revenues, and a migration to integrated infrastructures with the lowest overall cost. Quackenboss said current limitations of optical switching technology include its inability to translate one wavelength to another; its inability to add/drop wavelengths without regeneration; its inability to read bits/byte/frames with photons; its inability to the handle restoration on a per wavelength basis; and its lack of adequate performance management.  He sees this is a big opportunity for hybrid Electro Optical crossconnect equipment, which could be designed to address each of these areas.  One interesting observation:  data traveling from Los Angeles to New York City on a perfect fiber, with no buffers, switching or regeneration, has 4 times the latency of a disk head seek on a conventional PC drive.  Quackenboss argues that this physical constraint implies the need for improved metro content storage services with predictive pre-caching and constant synchronizing across the network.  Improved systems would be needed to handle the huge volume of low-level transactions.

The case for all-optical switches in the network is driven initially by the significant savings in cost, power and space that can be achieved by eliminating O-E-O conversions, said Rajiv Ramaswami, VP Systems Architecture Nortel Networks (formerly Xros).   Ramaswami expects the intelligent optical layer will be implemented first as in overlay model based on IP in which the optical switches operate independently of the Layer 2/3 data switches and routers. He contends that a peer-to-peer model, in which the data switches/routers would signal for changes in the underlying optical transport would be more elegant and practical, but is not likely to happen soon.

Carriers are in trouble in part because their capital expenditure growth is much higher than their revenue growth.  But this, said Harry Carr, Chairman and CEO of Tellium, can be tied to expensive SONET deployments.  He believes optical switching is really going to happen first at the core of the network at OC-48 and above speeds.  Interoperability between optical equipment is critical.  His company is participating in OIF and IETF standardization efforts.  Lower cost optical interfaces are also needed.
November 3, 2000

SPRINT CUTS FORECASTS, FOCUSES ON WIRELESS AND INTERNET SERVICES
Sprint trimmed its earning forecasts, saying future growth would come from wireless communications and Internet related services rather than long distance voice.  The company hopes its Internet related revenues will increase five-fold to $5 billion by 2003, driven by expanded transport capabilities, web hosting, managed network services and applications, and global IP services.   Sprint also announced plans to lease local fiber rings in the 20 top US markets.  The company vowed to continue with its Sprint ION initiative as a migration from a circuit-switched to an integrated packet-switched network. In 2001, capital investments are expected to be approximately $6.2 billion compared to approximately $5 billion in 2000.  Nearly 90% of the $1 billion Sprint plans to invest in ION is for packet-switched network enhancements.  Sprint also said it would be more aggressive in the way it cross sells services by offering bundles of long distance, local telephone and mobile phone minutes. http://www.sprint.com
Sprint, November 3, 2000

INTEL ONLINE SERVICES TO OFFER AKAMAI CONTENT
Intel Online Services will implement Akamai's FreeFlow and FirstPoint services in its hosting centers.  The service would allow hosting customers to more easily deliver content via Akamai's global network of over 6,000 servers.  http://www.akamai.com
Akamai, November 3, 2000

GN NETCOM INTRODUCES USB DIGITAL HEADSET FOR VOIP
GN Netcom introduced a USB-port headset that uses Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to address the echo and click problems that have challenged IP telephony.  GN Netcom's SmoothStream digital audio correction monitors the line for "dropouts" and "lost packets." It then smoothes the audio stream to reduce the resulting clicks, pops and hitches.  By plugging into the USB port, the company claims its headset eliminates the sound quality-robbing interference common to sound-card-based adapters.  List pricing is $89.  http://www.gnnetcom.com
GN Netcom, November 3, 2000

METASWITCH AND WOODWIND TEST ATM FORUM’S BLES SPEC
MetaSwitch and Woodwind Communications completed bilateral interoperability testing of the approved ATM Forum Broadband Loop Emulation Service (BLES) specification, which uses ATM AAL2 to enable several channels of voice, voice band data and fax traffic over a broadband subscriber line connection.  The MetaSwitch VP3000 is an integrated Broadband Voice Platform, combining broadband voice and Class 5 switch functions in a softswitch.  Woodwind offers a customer-located integrated access device (IAD) providing software-based CLASS and Centrex features, as well software configurable access interfaces.  The joint solution could allow carrier to deliver voice over ATM (VoATM) and voice over DSL (VoDSL) to enterprise customers.
Woodwind, November 3, 2000

UPC SELECTS SORRENTO’S REGIONAL DWDM
United Pan-Europe Communications (UPC) will deploy Sorrento Networks’ GigaMux Long Reach products for a DWDM link between Paris and Lyon, France.  Sorrento’s platform scales up to 32 wavelengths at SDM-16 (2.5 Gbps).  Financial terms were not disclosed.  http://www.sorrentonet.com
Sorrento Networks, November 3, 2000