RAD to Unveil Unique Ethernet Demarcation SFP at Ethernet Expo Americas

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct. 25, 2012 - NEW YORK – RAD Data Communications will launch a fully functional, innovative SFP form-factor Ethernet Network Interface Device (NID) at Ethernet Expo Americas, to be held November 6-8 in New York.

RAD’s Micro Network Interface Device (MiNID) plugs into the SFP cage of any manufacturer’s hosting device, transforming it into a Carrier Ethernet demarcation and SLA verification device for remote service monitoring and fault isolation. This unique capability allows service providers, wholesale carriers and mobile operators to receive real time network and performance reports with per-CoS (per-Class of Service) SLA definition.

“Carrier Ethernet should be profitable, not painful. In tandem with RAD’s full performance monitoring suite of solutions, deployment of the MiNID turns Carrier Ethernet into a more profitable service, eliminating many of the operational pain points that service providers currently experience,” states Amir Karo, Vice President of Marketing at RAD Data Communications.

“The ability to seamlessly integrate RAD’s MiNID SFP into a hosting device offers huge savings for carriers and operators who would otherwise have to rely on multi-box deployments,” notes Yacov Cazes, RAD Director of Business Development. “This new product is suitable for base stations, especially small cells where size and power are issues, as well as switches or routers that are not equipped for Carrier Ethernet in order to furnish them with Carrier Ethernet capabilities. The MiNID can also be inserted into a wholesale provider device to add end-to-end service monitoring and control.”

“Today, service providers and enterprises demand strict adherence to performance guarantees for Ethernet services,” said Ron Kline, Principal Analyst for Network Infrastructure at Ovum. “Plug and play performance monitoring and service management capabilities without ripping and replacing equipment will certainly get network operators’ attention.”

The MiNID can handle up to 1Gbps of Ethernet traffic and features per-port and per-flow monitoring capabilities, including Ethernet OAM and loopbacks. It can be remotely managed with low-touch configuration independently from its hosting device or, alternatively, it can be integrated with its hosting device to allow them to act together and appear as a single box.

“We anticipate a high degree of interest among service providers in a solution such as the MiNID,” commented Michael Howard, Principal Analyst and co-founder of Infonetics Research. “There is a strong business case to be made for this approach, particularly in applications such as small cells, virtual private networks, and the combination of service provider and wholesale provider network termination units.”

The MiNID differs from standalone NIDs because it does not require any external power source, yielding a significant reduction in operating expenses (OpEx). Because it is incorporated into the SFP itself, the MiNID does not take up any rack space and there is no installation. This simplifies inventory control and reduces operational complexity.

Cazes predicts that carriers and service providers will deploy the MiNID in applications that, until now, have required bulky and costly multi-box solutions. “The MiNID makes it easy to upgrade networks to Carrier Ethernet capability, to add visibility and control over the Ethernet transport layer for IP VPNs and to extend Ethernet services over third-party or wholesale networks – similar to the Metro Ethernet Forum’s vNID/Hybrid NID concept,” he explains. “The MiNID opens up a whole range of opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

“Obviously, there are different types and ranges of SFPs, and this can be a problem when working with SFP-based NIDs,” Cazes concludes. “The MiNID’s patent pending design, however, addresses this issue by allowing it to operate seamlessly with any standard SFP, which is a significant benefit from an operational perspective.”

The MiNID has been shortlisted for a Leading Light Award in the “Best New Product (Telecom)” category.

About RAD

RAD Data Communications’ access and backhaul solutions lower the total cost of ownership for carriers, service providers, and mobile operators, as well as for utilities, transportation and enterprise network communications operations. RAD’s technology focuses on Carrier Ethernet, service assurance, timing and synchronization over packet, and pseudowire solutions for cross generation migration to Next Generation networks. The company's installed base exceeds 12,000,000 units and encompasses more than 150 carriers and operators around the world, including Bharti Airtel, British Telecom, CenturyLink, China Mobile, China Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, Embratel, France Telecom/Orange, Hutchison, KDDI, KPN, SingTel, SoftBank, Sprint, Telefónica, Telekom Austria, TeliaSonera, Telstra, Telus, T-Mobile, Verizon International, and Vodafone. RAD is active in industry standardization bodies such as the IETF, Broadband Forum, ITU, and MEF. RAD is a member of the $1.2 billion RAD Group of companies, a world leader in networking and internetworking product solutions. RAD Data Communications site: http://www.rad.com     Twitter: http://twitter.com/RADdatacomms

Press Contact

Bob Eliaz, Media Relations Manager, RAD Data Communications

Tel: +972-3-6458134

Fax: +972-3-6498250

E-mail: bob@rad.com (http://www.prlog.org/pub/bob@rad.com)