Agilent Offers AFKC-xxxxD/E DWDM Transceivers

Agilent Technologies Inc. (Palo Alto, CA) has begun shipping what it claims to be the industry's first hot-pluggable, DWDM transceivers. The transceivers are part of the company's Metrak family and are used to send multiple channels of data, voice or video over a single fiber-optic link.

The AFKC-xxxxD and AFKC-xxxxE transceivers provide, transmit and receive interfaces for DWDM switch and router equipment; multi-service provisioning; and optical transmission platforms. They allow network service providers to plug in a DWDM transceiver exactly when and where it's needed, and at any wavelength, reducing inventory costs. The transceivers also eliminate system downtime during upgrades and service calls, as well as the need for fiber "pigtails" and pin through-hole devices that must be soldered to the board.

The devices provide SONET-/SDH-compliant links at 2.488Gbps, and are compatible with other standard data rates such as GbE. They are mountable either through the front panel or directly on the host line card. Both feature integrated control of the laser and avalanche photodiode receiver, as well as an integrated wavelength locker.