OpVista Unveils MetroVista Optical Transport System Offering Wavelength-on-Demand for Next Generation Cable Services
WaveGrabber Technology Ideal for Cable Companies Seeking to Reduce Costly Equipment Purchases, Expand Capacity and Distance Capabilities of Existing Fiber
Philadelphia -- May 12, 2003 -- OpVista, Inc., a developer of optical transport technology for a broad spectrum of applications in the cable industry, today unveiled its new optical transport system. Through the new MetroVista optical transport system, cable companies can reduce much of the equipment previously required while expanding the capacity and distance capabilities of existing fiber. MetroVista's capabilities make it ideal for cable operators seeking to deploy cost-effective, interoperable, high capacity transport solutions for Video-on-Demand, ATM/SONET replacement, business services, and integrating video, voice, and data onto a single fiber. MetroVista has been proven through several customer cost studies to be among the lowest cost transport systems, reducing both capital and operational costs, resulting in a clear lowest total cost of ownership.
OpVista's WaveGrabber technology, part of the MetroVista platform, provides a cost-effective, simple architecture for wavelength management. Typical systems use fixed lasers at the headend to transmit multiple wavelengths over the network. At remote hubs, optical switches and filters are used to drop the desired wavelengths and additional lasers are used to add new wavelengths back into the network. To add or reconfigure service in these systems, a fiber must be taken out of service, and a truck roll is required to change filters and lasers from an inventory of spares.
With the WaveGrabber technology there are no lasers, fixed filters, or switches in remote locations. All wavelengths are broadcast throughout the network and available at all hubs. At each hub, a tunable receiver is remotely and instantaneously tuned to the desired wavelength. As little as a single Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) can be dropped and optical power balancing is automatic, without disrupting existing data streams.
"Existing provisioning activities are time consuming, expensive, error-prone, and customers can temporarily lose their service," said Ron Foster, Vice President Sales and Marketing at OpVista. "Our new technology eliminates this. Everything is done automatically with only a few mouse-clicks. There's no down time, no truck rolls, and no angry customers."
OpVista's patented WaveMultiplier technology, also at the core of the MetroVista platform, carries four wavelengths per single 50 GHz ITU window, multiplying capacity eight times over conventional systems without re-engineering the physical fiber network. The Ultra-DWDM signal can travel 1000 km without regeneration or dispersion compensation and a single fiber can now carry up to 640 Gigabit Ethernet streams. MetroVista interoperates with legacy systems to expand capacity and distance limitations with no changes to the outside plant.
Product Availability
A MetroVista system can be comprised of two different models. The flagship MetroVista 200 is a 17-card slot, chassis-based unit, which supports up to 64 uni-directional GigEs. In addition to GigE, the interface cards can also support services such as DVB-ASI, QAM, SONET, FiberChannel, and DV6000 signals. Other cards perform functions such as optical performance monitoring, amplification, protection switching, and optical add/drop. For smaller applications, the one-rack-unit MetroVista 100 is available. It can support the same services and can be combined with the MetroVista 200 in the same network. Both platforms, typically deployed in metro rings, are managed via the WaveMaster EMS software, also available through OpVista.
The MetroVista platform is undergoing trials in 2Q03 and is scheduled to ship in 3Q03. Pricing depends on configuration. The product will be demonstrated at the Cable-Tec Expo in Philadelphia, May 12-14.
About OpVista, Inc.
OpVista, Inc., founded in 2000, develops scalable optical transport solutions to the communications industry for the deployment of "anything on demand" services, including VOD, data, business, and voice. The company maintains its headquarters in Irvine, Calif. More information about OpVista can be found at http://www.opvista.com.