ADC, Atmosphere, Nortel, and Siemens Complete Testing Based on Service Interoperability Documents

At Supercomm '99, Atlanta, June 7-10, four Data Aware Transport Activity (D.A.T.A.) member companies—ADC Telecommunications (Minnetonka, MN), Atmosphere Networks (Cupertino, CA), Nortel Networks (Brampton, ON), and Siemens Information and Communication Networks (New York)—have created a network consisting of each vendor's data-aware SONET rings interconnected with each other via the ATM Forum's standard OC-3c user-network interface (UNI) links. The demonstration is based on the first three service interoperability documents developed by D.A.T.A. that define T1 private lines, Ethernet Transparent LAN Service (TLS), and cell relay (ATM) service.

Founded in November 1998 by ADC Telecommunications, Atmosphere Networks, Fujitsu Network Communications, and Nortel Networks, D.A.T.A. is chartered with developing documents that facilitate the rapid implementation of data-aware SONET/SDH transport by carriers. D.A.T.A. now includes more than 20 member companies working together to dramatically improve the data-carrying capability of SONET/SDH. This enables carriers to better deliver the services demanded by customers today as well as ready the access network for emerging services such as Voice over IP.

Demonstration focuses on real world applications
D.A.T.A. has now met its first goal of defining interfaces for connectivity between data-aware SONET/SDH rings, including communication from rings to service subscribers and from rings to network providers' switching/routing infrastructure along with appropriate service-level interoperability parameters.

The Supercomm '99 demonstration is based on the definitions adopted by D.A.T.A.'s Interoperability Sub-Group for an overall data-aware SONET/SDH reference architecture and the draft documents for specific services such as T1 private line, transparent LAN service, and cell relay (ATM).

The demonstration focuses on the end-to-end transport of real world applications that are in demand today. These include voice communications between PBXs and carrier PSTN, interactive data that is becoming a requirement in corporate and Internet-based collaborative environments, and video transport for broadcast, conferencing, and real-time streaming applications over the Internet.