Middle East, November 18, 2014 – Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is to launch a flexible and resilient hardware-based edge routing platform – the 7750 SR-a – to offer high density, high performance aggregation of mobile backhaul, business and residential services, in addition to rich service functionality, in a compact, modular design.
The new platform, which extends the company’s 7750 Service Router family, is being introduced to help fixed, mobile and cable operators, governments and enterprises to drive down costs even as they meet escalating traffic demands, a key factor highlighted by new modelling research from Bell Labs.
Network operators face a significant challenge in terms of satisfying the appetite for high-bandwidth multimedia services while also simplifying and converging networks in order to streamline costs. By leveraging Alcatel-Lucent’s FP3 400G Network Processor, the 7750 SR-a addresses this challenge, with a resilient platform that delivers scalability beyond its compact size. It allows providers to support the simultaneous delivery of mobile, business and residential services and creates new value through the delivery of innovative new services.
With its comprehensive router portfolio – which recently expanded to include the Virtualized Service Router (VSR) – Alcatel-Lucent is giving service providers both the specialized hardware and router software necessary to build a flexible network with the right performance and economics for the cloud era.
Cost Savings & Service Innovation
A modelling study by Bell Labs has highlighted how the 7750 SR-a can generate compelling cost savings when compared to competitive offers in the marketplace. The study found that:
- For high-density 10GE applications, the 7750 SR-a delivers more than 44 percent CAPEX savings and more than 42 percent total cost of ownership (TCO) savings
- As demand rises and operators move to a 100GE infrastructure, the 7750 SR-a offers 54 percent CAPEX savings and 55 percent TCO savings compared to a platform that does not offer 100GE interfaces.
With class-leading Gigabit Ethernet (GE) and 10GE density as well as 40GE and 100 GE interfaces – operators can scale aggregation networks smoothly to meet all of their customers’ demands into the future. The 7750 SR-a enables a host of services: in addition to supporting Carrier Ethernet and IP services, the 7750 SR-a supports Enhanced Subscriber Management. Acting as a Broadband Network Gateway (BNG), it will allow providers to offer high-value differentiated services tailored to customer demands and usage patterns.
Basil Alwan, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s IP Routing & Transport business line said: “We are committed to delivering product innovations that bridge a gap in the market. The 7750 SR-a will allow providers to go closer to the customer to meet their exploding traffic demands across the network. Despite its compact size, by leveraging the FP3 network processor we are not compromising on scalability, functionality or quality of service – it offers performance beyond its size and drives down costs at the same time.”
Glen Hunt, Principal Analyst at Current Analysis said: “Alcatel-Lucent’s new 7750 SR-a is a natural extension of the 7750 SR family and confirms the company’s support for both physical and virtual network solutions. The new platform brings high-performance aggregation and service scale to residential, business and mobile backhaul applications, and the compact form factor makes it ideally suited for co-location with optical transport to meet the growing demands in the metro network.”
Key Facts about the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR-a
- The 7750 SR-a is available in two variants:
- The 4-slot 7750 SR-a4 offering 200G system throughput capacity
- The 8-slot 7750 SR-a8 offering 400G system throughput capacity
- Class-leading GE and 10GE density with high-performance 40G and 100GE interfaces offers investment protection. Oversubscription allows providers to efficiently and cost-effectively support the changing traffic demands of a mix of customers – LTE Advanced and small cell mobile backhaul, business VPN, datacenter and cloud-based services and residential broadband services. Providers can scale their aggregation network for years to come, in-line with demand.
- Offers support for a comprehensive suite of IP, MPLS, Ethernet and synchronization protocols allowing deployment in a wide range of IP and carrier Ethernet applications. Non-stop routing and non-stop services features ensure highly available service delivery, allowing operators to meet the stringent SLAs of large enterprise customers.
- Compact design allows operators to right-size deployments in 300mm cabinets closer to the customer services edge within the metro network.
- The Bell Labs modeling study showed a reduction in CAPEX costs and OPEX including costs related to installation, maintenance, power, support and space.
- The 7750 SR-a is powered by Alcatel-Lucent’s Service Router Operating System (SR OS) and managed end-to-end by the 5620 Service Aware Manager (5620 SAM). As such it can be seamlessly deployed in a network alongside Alcatel-Lucent’s other hardware based router portfolio as well as its newly announced Virtualized Service Router (VSR).
Additional Information
