Telescent, a manufacturer of automated fiber cross-connects for data centers, announced that MOX Networks LLC, a fiber-optic network specialist, has signed an agreement for Telescent’s Gen 4 Network Topology Manager (G4 NTM), an automated interconnect system. The system is set to be deployed along MOX’s fiber route connecting Hillsboro, Oregon to Seattle.
MOX’s deployment of Telescent’s G4 NTM provides the company with a remote-controlled, reconfigurable fiber optic patch panel and cross-connect platform to implement physical layer automation and diagnostics for MOX customers along the route. This improves and speeds up the ability to diagnose and deliver customer service by MOX, including remote testing and provisioning, rapid fault isolation and service restoration along its next-generation route in the Northwest.
“With Telescent’s patented robotic technology in place, fiber optic connections between network devices can be provisioned, tested, and delivered without requiring an individual to be dispatched – and can be completed in mere minutes,” said Allen Meeks, COO, MOX. “We are excited to provide this network automation capability for our customers in the Pacific Northwest, as it also reduces service delivery intervals, offers real-time implementation capabilities, and is supported by sophisticated monitoring tools that allow us to locate cable faults automatically, should they arise.”
Telescent CEO Anthony Kewitsch added, “Our goal is to provide MOX and their customers a cutting-edge solution that changes the way network operators buy connectivity solutions. Our NEBS Level 3 certified, the high-port-count robotic platform ensures fiber cross connects can be remotely connected – in real-time – with diagnostic and monitoring capabilities built-in – a win-win-win for customers, MOX, and the market.”
Telescent’s robotic patch panel system addresses the requirements for automating fiber management. The Telescent system is fiber-based, offering low loss and a latching design that matches manual patch panel performance. When an add, move or drop is requested, the Telescent robot grabs the end of the fiber and weaves it around the other fibers in the system to the requested port.
A key advance in the Telescent system is an algorithm the robot uses to weave around the other fibers while avoiding any blocking or knotting. This preserves the ability of the system to make any connection request (i.e. non-blocking) while scaling to more than 1,000 duplex ports per system.
Test equipment such as power meters and OTDRs can be included with the Telescent system to allow monitoring of any fiber when requested. The Telescent system also meets the reliability requirements for data centers and has passed NEBS Level 3 certification as well as multiple customer trials and has over 1 billion port hours in operation.
For more information about Telescent, visit www.telescent.com
