Coriolis' improved OptiFlow platform promises to help Asian and European service providers deliver end-to-end Ethernet services regardless of core network topologies or protocols, and enable them to create applications for end users.

by Wayne Kawamoto [June 6, 2002]

Coriolis Networks, a provider of metro optical networking solutions, announced an enhancement to its OptiFlow platform that supports the aggregation and delivery of gigabit Ethernet, TDM and other data services in European and Asian carrier networks. According to the company, its platform will now support additional interoperability with multiple protocols that will help service providers create new revenue-generating applications over their IP and legacy backbones.

The company says that its OptiFlow platform lets carriers aggregate and deliver gigabit Ethernet, TDM and, other data services from a single network with rapid service turn-up and end-to-end provisioning. The OptiFlow Network is designed to manage bandwidth as a shared resource across an entire geographically distributed network and provide automatic, real-time dynamic bandwidth allocation to match available resources with service requirements. The OptiFlow Network may provide carriers with a flexible and cost-effective way to recover more than 75 percent of the bandwidth stranded in their traditional SONET networks.

To support deployments internationally, Coriolis has added PDH/SDH support for all ring and tributary interfaces. In addition, Coriolis has incorporated support for multipoint Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) over Ethernet, which should help service providers offer highly differentiated transparent LAN services—connecting multiple sites together and extending the corporate network across a wide area network.

Coriolis now supports MPLS trunks for carriers that have deployed new MPLS backbones, facilitating the delivery of new MPLS-based Layer 2 VPNs across backbone networks, with Ethernet service interfaces in the metro access network. For carriers with legacy backbones, Coriolis supports Ethernet-to-POS for optical/IP backbones and Ethernet-to-ATM interworking for ATM backbones. Furthermore, Coriolis is adding support for ATM transport to the OptiFlow multiservice platform to enable interoperability with legacy ATM backbones.

According to the company, these new enhancements will give service providers a flexible platform for delivering end-to-end Ethernet services regardless of core network topologies or protocols and enable them to create innovative, high-value applications for their end users.

"The OptiFlow platform has been selected by service providers in the United States because it enables them to deliver new, revenue enhancing services that leverage their existing infrastructure," said Robert L. Castle, president and CEO, Coriolis Networks. "With these enhancements Coriolis can offer the same benefits to service providers in the rapidly growing European and Asian markets."

Availability and pricing
The enhanced platform is available now and systems start at under $10,000, depending on the configuration, switching capacity, number of wavelengths and I/O modules. Coriolis is currently demonstrating its enhanced OptiFlow platform at the SUPERCOMM show.

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