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Metrobility Expands Ethernet Services Offering With New R821 E-Service Network Interface Device

Posted on: Tuesday, 18 January 2005, 09:00 CST

Demarcation device provides management and troubleshooting capabilities for metro Ethernet services

Metrobility Optical Systems, a next-generation optical networking company providing metro Ethernet connectivity, access, wavelength multiplexing and management solutions, today announced that it has expanded its E-Services Network Interface Device (NID) product line to include 10/100Mbps support as well as the ability to support rate limiting, Q-in-Q tagging and four service classes for traffic prioritization.

The new R821 10/100 E-Services NID consists of a 10/100BASE-T user port and 100Mbps optical network port to create a secure customer premise equipment (CPE) demarcation point for point-to-point optical Ethernet services in metro area networks. The device offers the industry's most extensive set of operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) management options through a multi-level management approach for complete, end-to-end management of Ethernet services.

The management and trouble shooting capabilities of the R821 include the following, which enable service providers to deploy and manage Ethernet services to business and residential customers rapidly and cost effectively:

-- Metrobility's multiple-level management approach provides flexibility in the management of Ethernet services. This approach enables service providers to manage the device as an independent network interface device with its own IP address using IP PING or SNMP, without an IP address using another IEEE802.3ah-compliant device, or in a back-to-back configuration without an IP address with Metrobility's NetBeacon Element Manager Software.

-- As a Layer 2 device, service providers can adjust bandwidth and assign VLANS and up to four service classes on a per port basis to simplify installation and reduce start-up costs.

-- Intelligent management access controls make the device impervious to denial of service attacks under all traffic conditions and traffic patterns.

-- A patent-pending logical services loopback feature provides end-to-end service level verification across multiple providers to support individual service level agreements.

-- Troubleshooting tools include optical power monitoring, quality of equipment monitoring, and quality of line monitoring to enable fast fault identification and minimize the need for expensive truck rolls.

-- The R821 also provides the ability to test the copper line quality between the NID and the customer equipment to locate any link problems to the subscriber's network.

This sophisticated set of management tools enable network builders to realize dramatic reductions in the cost of management and higher revenue streams from new service offerings.

"The 10/100Mbps option is a natural evolution of our E-Services NID product line," said Alex Saunders, president and CEO of Metrobility. "While we had many early adopters interested in our Gigabit E-Services NID, they also needed a 10/100Mbps solution. Based on customer feedback, there is no doubt that Ethernet in the First Mile will be a viable player for service providers looking to offer services which span voice, video and data. With the introduction of our new R821 E-Service NID, we continue on our path to provide network builders the management tools necessary to aid in the mass deployment of optical Ethernet services."

The E-Services NID consists of a NEBS Level 3 certified E-Services Line Card which is housed in a Metrobility chassis. Metrobility offers a choice of chassis options ranging from a 17-slot, 2-slot and 1-slot units with optional redundant AC or DC power. Fiber optic connectivity is provided with small form-factor pluggable (SFP) optics on the network port which offers flexible multimode, singlemode, single-strand and CWDM connectivity options.

Metrobility introduced the Gigabit E-Services NID in January of 2004 and has been shipping the product to customers in the United States, South America, Canada, Europe and Israel. To learn more about this new class of intelligent demarcation devices, please join Michael Howard, principal analyst at Infonetics Research, for "Demarcation Points: Dividing & Ruling Ethernet Services," a Light Reading Web seminar sponsored by Metrobility today, Tuesday, January 18. More information can be found at www.metrobility.com.

Pricing and Availability

The R821 E-Services Line Card will be available in February, 2005. List price is $999 plus the cost of the SFP optic.

About Metrobility Optical Systems

Metrobility Optical Systems is an innovative, next generation optical networking company focusing on delivering optical access, connectivity and multiplexing to create a more efficient, more reliable, and more manageable network infrastructure. Metrobility harnesses the power of Ethernet and fiber optics to deliver superior carrier-class network connectivity solutions to bring WAN-manageable capabilities - optical remote management, connectivity, and access - to the metropolitan area network. As a market leader in media conversion, Metrobility has over a million units installed in networks around the world and is the product of choice for network builders who need to maximize network uptime and ensure network availability.

Metrobility Optical Systems is an ISO 9001:2000 registered company based in Merrimack, New Hampshire, USA. More information on Metrobility Optical Systems can be found at www.metrobility.com.

Lancast, Metrobility, Metrobility Optical Systems, and NetBeacon are registered trademarks of Metrobility Optical Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Source: Business Wire

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