WDM & Next-Generation Optical Networking

Transmode and NEC Team Up; Target Fixed and Mobile Operators

| Jun 24, 2009 | Optical Infrastructure | Show Update

| Analyst: Jason Marcheck

Current Perspective: Slightly Positive
Vendor Importance: Low/Moderate
Market Impact: Moderate

Event Summary

June 23, 2009 -- Transmode announced the availability of two new Layer 2 Ethernet plug-in units for its TM-Series WDM product line. The first, an Ethernet demarcation unit, improves density from six ports to 12 ports. The second, an Ethernet muxponder, increases port support from 11 10/100/1000 Ethernet client ports and one 10GbE trunk port to 22 client ports and two trunk ports. The vendor also announced enhancements to transmission distance support and new options for enabling protection routes.

Analytical Summary

• Current Perspective: Positive on Transmode’s announcement of two new Layer 2 modules aimed at increasing Ethernet port density on the TM-Series platforms, because it helps to protect existing platform investments by bolstering packet transport capabilities in a minimally disruptive manner. At the same time, however, the modules do relatively little to take Transmode closer to what many in the market define as a complete packet optical transport solution.

• Vendor Importance: Moderate to Transmode, because the Ethernet module enhancements make the TM-Series an undoubtedly more robust packet transport platform, and the additional capabilities help to round out Transmode’s offering in other important ways. Nevertheless, because the newly released features are aimed more at incremental improvement than adding fundamentally new capabilities, they are unlikely to attract interest from carriers looking for a more diverse set of packet optical capabilities in a single platform solution.

• Market Impact: Low to moderate on the optical infrastructure market, because while Transmode is not taking its TM-Series platforms in any radical new direction, it is taking the requisite steps to address potential capability gaps in what service providers buy Transmode gear to accomplish: cost-effective, reliable, multi-service metro optical transport. To this end, while arguments that Transmode products are not the end-all-be-all for all possible metro networking requirements might still hold true, Transmode’s quest is not to dispel that notion completely. Instead, the vendor focuses on making sure that its products keep pace with incremental steps forward in their customers’ requirements. In many respects, the TM-Series’ Release 13 features accomplish that goal.

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Current Perspective

Competitive Positives and Concerns

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