Siemens intros tunable transponder

Fiber Optics Weekly Update, March 21, 2003

Siemens IC Networks has introduced a new transponder card for optical data transmission employing tunable laser technology. This enables one of 80 tunable wavelengths to be freely selected and set for transmission. Up until now, the practice has been to use cards with fixed wavelengths. Using the novel Siemens solution will give carriers a clear advantage in terms of both the cost of operations and spare parts inventory management. It will also enable carriers to offer their customers additional services on other wavelengths.

The new transponder card is part of the SURPASS hiT 75xx-er Series for Next Generation Optics. This is Siemens' multifunctional DWDM system with modular and scalable architecture enabling it to be deployed in applications ranging from regional to ultra-long haul. The new card considerably reduces carriers' inventory costs since a single tunable transponder can be used to cover 80 different channels both for network expansion and repair replacements. Apart from the new transponder card, Siemens has expanded the Surpass hiT 75xx-er Series to provide a new type of optical add-drop multiplexer. This allows up to one hundred percent of the transmitted wavelengths to be added and dropped on an alloptical basis. This not only eliminates costly electrical regeneration but also facilitates flexible traffic planning. The integrated automatic analysis and control of optical signals in the DWDM network area also allows additional channels to be added on a plug-and-play basis, providing a further reduction in operating co sts.