Openreach, the infrastructure arm of BT Group, has deployed ADVA Optical Networking’s FSP 150 platform as the foundation of its new 10G Ethernet Access Direct (EAD) service.
The 10G service, which launched on 21 September, will provide Openreach's enterprise customers with 10 times the bandwidth at a cost-effective price point, helping meet increased demand for point-to-point data connectivity between sites.
The new service is based on the latest 10G variant of ADVA’s FSP 150 product family, which the company bills as “the ideal high-speed Carrier Ethernet demarcation and aggregation solution for all enterprise applications”. The product is designed to save space and power, enable flexible deployment both indoor and outdoor, and is less expensive than other high-bandwidth products based on optical fibre, ADVA asserts. It also fully supports the sector's increasingly stringent timing requirements with Synchronous Ethernet capabilities.
"There's a lot of excitement around this launch. With the ADVA FSP 150 as the foundation, we've created the ideal EAD solution and many of our business and infrastructure customers have already chosen to upgrade," said Kerry Brennan, general manager, Fibre Services, Openreach.
She added: “We know real estate is at a premium in many locations so EAD 10G uses rack space more efficiently. It's a single-fibre working solution, using only one physical fibre for both, transmit and receive directions, so installation and repair are simple and inexpensive. Customers will also save on power compared with legacy solutions. But the key benefit has to be that EAD 10G delivers 10 times the performance of 1Gbit/s at no more than 2.5 times the price."
Sarah Mendham, sales director, ADVA Optical Networking, highlighted some of the benefits of using ADVA’s technology. “Our FSP 150 ensures the new 10G service is enhanced with EAD Synchronous Ethernet. That means Openreach's customers can utilise technologies that require precise frequency synchronisation, giving them access to a host of new business opportunities. With intelligent demarcation and aggregation, its clients will receive even more than high-bandwidth point-to-point connectivity. Enterprises can now tackle their growing bandwidth needs and at the same time drive down cost. And, going forward, there's scope for Openreach to roll out even more EAD services in the future.”