EXFO Adds WDM Investigator To Its FTB-5240S/BP To Reduce Troubleshooting Time And OPEX In DWDM Networks

Quebec City, QC - EXFO Inc recently unveiled a new tool called WDM Investigator, which enables network operators to significantly decrease troubleshooting time and drastically cut operational expenses by providing unique identification of DWDM network impairments. Offered as an option on the FTB-5240S/BP Optical Spectrum Analyzers (OSA), the WDM Investigator provides users with better assessment of impairments affecting DWDM networks on a per-channel basis for rapid identification of the defective component.

Operators are always looking to reduce their OPEX and acquire intelligent tools that speed up repair time. However, DWDM networks are becoming increasingly complex due to the new technologies being deployed (e.g., tighter channel spacing, ROADMs and polarization-multiplexed signals), which in turn increases the number of potential causes for failure. While past impairment types were relatively few and well known (e.g., excessive loss, high dispersion and excessive ASE noise), the newly deployed technologies give rise to previously uncommon impairments, such as crosstalk and non-linear effects. Service providers have been looking for ways to identify these impairments and their impact on signal degradation in order to troubleshoot DWDM networks more quickly and effectively.

The new WDM Investigator featured on EXFO's FTB-5240S/BP provides never-before-seen insight into link characteristics (including polarization-multiplexed signals and carved noise) and signal impairments, and also provides an assessment of their severity. Examples of such impairments include PMD depolarization, crosstalk, non-linear effects and carrier leakage. Accordingly, the new WDM Investigator helps pinpoint causes of failure in DWDM networks, both quickly and accurately.

"We are proud to provide our customers with powerful spectral analysis tools that reduce downtime and speed up time-to-revenue," said Étienne Gagnon, Vice-President of EXFO's Test and Measurement Division. "This new option on the FTB-5240S/BP pays for itself in just a few troubleshooting tickets. In addition, it further strengthens EXFO's no. 1 market-share position in the portable OSA market, as recognized by Frost & Sullivan."