100G WDM ports in metro networks are growing rapidly, with a 45% CAGR (according to the 2016 IHS Technology Report on 100G+ Coherent Optical Equipment Ports Market Report). As many of the service rates are 10G and below, this drives a need for OTN switching to optimally fill the 100G wavelengths. The deployment of OTN switching closest to the metro edge creates a need for economical, low-power, and flexible-capacity or pay-as-you-grow OTN switching platforms. The DIGI platform has been designed with this requirement in mind by enabling a single-chip line card with integrated OTN switching.

By connecting DIGI line cards together in a meshed architecture, a fabricless and distributed OTN switch system can be created. This architecture eliminates the need for a separate FIC device,
which results in BOM cost and power reductions of more than 25% on the line card. These reductions are quite valuable for metro-access networks that are cost and power sensitive. ECI has implemented Microsemi DIGI OTN processors to develop Fabricless Switch Cards for the flexible OTN switching platforms in order to meet the metro edge network requirement.

“The fabricless switch cards, enabled uniquely by the Microsemi’s DIGI OTN processors, allow ECI’s customers to build an OTN switch card-by-card in a standard WDM platform. This unique capability reduces startup costs and allows a pay-as-you-grow strategy at the node level in bringing the benefits of OTN switching to the network edge.”
—Jimmy Mizrahi, VP of Product Management at ECI

Read the full case study on Optical Transport Networking (OTN) Processors.

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Tags: DIGI OTN, OTN