New Fujitsu EoX Gateway Unifies Ethernet Access Networks to Increase Connectivity Options and Addressable Customers

Richardson, TX, October 13, 2009

Fujitsu, a leading provider of business, information technology, and communications solutions, announced today significant new capabilities for its award-winning FLASHWAVE® 9500 Packet Optical Networking Platform (Packet ONP) to allow the system to aggregate, switch, and deliver Connection-oriented Ethernet (COE) services across any type of access network (EoX). The EoX Gateway on the FLASHWAVE 9500 benefits wholesale and retail Ethernet service providers by dramatically increasing the number of addressable customers for differentiable Ethernet and IP services, accelerating time to revenue by leveraging existing access networks, and significantly reducing the cost and space of hub Central Office (CO) equipment.

“The greatest challenge in delivering metro, national or global Ethernet services has been the inability to reach all customer locations with a standardized set of Ethernet services regardless of access network technology,” said Rod Naphan, vice president of product and strategic planning at Fujitsu Network Communications. “With our new EoX Gateway on the FLASHWAVE 9500 Packet ONP, service providers can accelerate their time to revenue for retail and wholesale Ethernet access and connectivity services that offer ‘private line’ quality and reliability over any type of access network.”

A single FLASHWAVE 9500 EoX Gateway can aggregate hundreds of thousands of Ethernet/IP circuits from hundreds of different physical access networks comprised of Ethernet over SONET/SDH (EoS), T1/T3 (EoPDH), WDM (Eoλ), and fiber (EoF). The new EtherMapper™ EoX Gateway cards and system software on the FLASHWAVE 9500 Packet ONP transparently terminate a wide variety of access networks, perform Connection-oriented Ethernet switching and grooming, and present fully-protected Ethernet or SONET/SDH handoffs to other transport or service delivery networks.

The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF)-compliant EoX Gateway on the FLASHWAVE 9500 Packet ONP integrates the functionality of many network elements in central offices, hub sites, co-location facilities and IP service edges/POPs to further reduce the space, cost, and time required for Ethernet OAM (Operations, Administration, and Management) over different types of physical access networks.

“Space is at an incredible premium in many of the hub site locations,” continued Naphan. “An EoX Gateway eliminates stacks of stand-alone MSPPs, EoPDH gateways, and Ethernet switches. It aggregates all Ethernet and IP services onto one or more fully protected Ethernet External Network-to-Network Interfaces (ENNIs) or Ethernet UNIs, creating efficient handoffs to Ethernet and IP service edge networks.”

Service providers can use the EoX Gateway to deliver a complete wholesale access service to their retail service provider partners by aggregating and delivering standardized MEF Ethernet services over any type of access network from a flexible ENNI to a remote UNI at the customer premises. The EoX Gateway can also be used to aggregate traffic from TDM-based 2G/3G and Ethernet-based 3G/4G mobile backhaul networks, regardless of whether the cell tower is accessed via SONET or Ethernet.

“The EoX Gateway enables service providers to create one, common Ethernet service definition regardless of the access networks over which the service is delivered,” said Stan Hubbard, senior analyst at Heavy Reading. “This tremendously simplifies their Ethernet services portfolio, accelerating their customers’ purchasing decision process and saving a lot on operational costs.”

The EoX Gateway on the FLASHWAVE 9500 Packet ONP is remotely managed using the Fujitsu NETSMART® 1500 Element Management System (EMS), which is the single, unified management system for the entire portfolio of Fujitsu FLASHWAVE MSPP, DWDM, and Packet Optical Networking Platform products. The NETSMART 1500 EMS supports the full FCAPS (fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security) model and framework, and is currently managing over 175,000 network elements across North America. The platform is available in standard local server-based and hosted versions.