PR Newswire
Feb 5, 2007 00:01 ET

Meriton Networks Teams with TPACK to Deliver Tunnel Switching Capability for Carrier Ethernet Transport

Combined Optical and Ethernet Expertise to Culminate in Advanced Solutions Based on Provider Backbone Bridging - Traffic Engineering (PBB-TE) Technology

OTTAWA, CANADA and COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Meriton Networks, specialists in Agile Optical Networking, today announced that it has teamed with TPACK, a leading provider of Carrier Ethernet technologies, to build advanced packet gateway products that will be integrated into the Meriton Carrier Ethernet Transport (CET) solution. In a separate announcement today, Meriton articulated its multi-phase strategy for entering this emerging market category.

TPACK and Meriton are collaborating to add Carrier Ethernet Tunnel Switching to the Meriton 7200 OSP (Optical Switching Platform) - a highly scalable 320 Gb/s system. Together, the companies are developing an Intelligent Ethernet Gateway (IEG) that will be an optional component of the 7200 OSP.

With Meriton's CET strategy, the 7200 OSP becomes the first integrated switching and transport system optimized to transport Ethernet services. The key networking capabilities provided by the 7200 OSP include the following:

- Embeds key "any port to any port" network switching capabilities. With
the growth in endpoints driving GigEs to increasingly disparate
destinations, there is a need to switch traffic, end-to-end, across the
entire network. CET embeds wavelength switching, sub-wavelength
switching, and Carrier Ethernet Tunnel switching capabilities.

- Separation of the service delivery architecture from the underlying
transport architecture. By doing so, the transport network is
transparent for service creation and modification

- Reliable, deterministic end-to-end connections that can support
guaranteed Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

- Optimized hand-off of Ethernet traffic so there is less "hairpinning"
of traffic to layer 2 switches

The first Ethernet tunnel technology to be supported by Meriton and TPACK will be Provider Backbone Transport (PBT), which is currently undergoing ratification within the IEEE under the name of Provider Bridging Backbone - Traffic Engineering or PBB-TE. The Ethernet Tunnel Switching technology that TPACK is providing is also available in a T-MPLS variant, although the Meriton IEG will be initially optimized to support PBB-TE.

"TPACK is a recognized leader in Carrier Ethernet Tunnel Switching," said Bill Gartner, chief operating officer for Meriton Networks. "Working with TPACK to develop our CET products ensures that we set a new benchmark in the industry for optical-Ethernet converged capabilities."

"We are excited to be part of this project, which makes optimal use of TPACK's technology and core competency," said Peter Viereck, chief executive officer for TPACK. "It further confirms our leadership in connection-oriented packet transport solutions, such as PBB-TE."

Meriton's CET functionality on the 7200 OSP will be available in the second half of 2007.

About Meriton Networks, Inc.
----------------------------

Meriton Networks Inc. has developed the industry's first unified end-to-end Agile Optical Networking (AON) architecture, a carrier-grade solution for service provider migration to next-generation IP services architectures. A key pillar of AON is the integration of Ethernet aggregation and switching with optical WDM transport to enable Carrier Ethernet Transport (CET). With metro access, metro core and regional extension products, all fully managed by a best-in-class suite of network planning and management tools, Meriton Networks gives network operators a single source for the rapid, cost-effective delivery of high-speed services. For more information, please visit http://www.meriton.com/.

About TPACK
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TPACK is a leading provider of linecard solutions for packet data transport and switching. This includes Ethernet/MPLS over NG-SONET/SDH and Carrier Ethernet, including PBT and T-MPLS. TPACK solutions are based on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices that allow rapid development and customization. This allows TPACK to meet customer specific needs without sacrificing time-to-market. TPACK's customer base includes Tier 1 equipment providers who account for more than 50% of the optical transport equipment market. TPACK is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. For more information, please visit http://www.tpack.com/

Meriton Networks and the Meriton Networks logo are registered trademarks of Meriton Networks Inc. Other trademarks that may be used in this document are property of their respective owners.

Source: Meriton Networks