Hot-plug bonus for DWDM transceivers

Agilent Technologies is now shipping the industry's first hot-pluggable dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transceivers.

Agilent Technologies is now shipping the industry's first hot-pluggable dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transceivers.

These devices are used to send multiple channels of data, voice or video over a single fibre-optic link.

The new DWDM transceivers are part of the Agilent Metrak family of fibre-optic transceivers and ICs, and provide flexibility and ease of design and production for metropolitan area networks.

The Agilent AFKC-xxxxD and the Agilent AFKC-xxxxE transceivers provide transmit and receive interfaces for DWDM switch and router equipment, multi-service provisioning, and optical transmission platforms.

The new transceivers allow network service providers to plug in a DWDM transceiver exactly when and where it's needed, and at any wavelength, reducing inventory costs.

The transceivers eliminate system downtime during upgrades and service calls, and the multi-rate operation (from 155Mbit/s to 2.7Gbit/s) allows operators to offer flexible service.

Network equipment manufacturers also benefit from the transceiver's pluggability as it eliminates the need for cumbersome fibre "pigtails" and pin through-hole devices that must be soldered to the board, adding complexity to the assembly of high-volume systems.

The Agilent pluggable transceivers also solve the problem of having to set up individual components for optimal performance.

Agilent's hot-pluggable DWDM transceivers provide Sonet/SDH-compliant links at 2.488Gbit/s and are compatible with other standard data rates such as Gigabit Ethernet.

The transceivers are mountable either through the front panel or directly on the host line card.

The devices feature integrated control of the laser and avalanche photodiode receiver to reduce NEM design cycles and shorten time to market.

The Agilent transceivers are based on a standard, multisourced package design specification.

The devices are highly integrated, providing control for automatic warm up, transmit power and receiver sensitivity, while delivering diagnostics over the I2C bus.

An LC optical connector is provided along with a 70-way two-row electrical connector.

The Agilent devices offer a total of 50 wavelengths across the C band on the 100GHz ITU grid at link distances of 100km (AFKC-xxxxD) and 160km (AFKC-xxxxE).

These devices are qualified to Telecordia GR-468-CORE.

The Agilent AFKC-xxxxD and AFKC-xxxxE hot-pluggable DWDM transceivers are shipping now.

Future DWDM transceivers are planned to provide a range of more than 300km.

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