Do you find yourself in this conundrum: The legacy SONET/SDH gear in your network still generates revenue, but the cost and complexity of operating it increases yearly? You know you need to migrate away from the old network, but you also know that migrations can be complex and difficult. Without the right knowledge, experience, and tools, the idea of moving live traffic from one system to another seems too difficult. If you find yourself in this situation, you’re not alone.
There are thousands of legacy network elements that have been in place for over twenty years. Given their age, support from their manufacturers was discontinued years ago, which leads to numerous issues, including:
- Higher faults and increased service degradation
- Scarcity of replacement parts
- Manual provisioning and lack of automated processes
- Oversized footprints and wasted space
- Higher power consumption compared to today’s packet-optical technologies
- Larger carbon footprint
- Management systems are no longer supported by their manufacturer
- Fewer qualified technicians available for support
Bridge the gap using Circuit-Emulation
Previously, there were very few options for resolving these issues and modernizing a legacy SONET/SDH network. Because of this, many providers opted to do nothing. However, modernizing the network using a Circuit-Emulation (CEM) approach allows you to migrate to packet-switched networks using low-cost, high-availability Ethernet devices. The CEM approach means you can keep and maintain service-level agreements (SLA) with your current customers, while simultaneously reducing operating costs and complexity.
Replacing your legacy network elements (NEs) with CEM results in numerous benefits:
- Reclaimed floorspace: The modernized network reclaims valuable floorspace that can be used to support higher revenue services or in some cases, vacated and resold.
- Decreased operating costs: Eliminating the legacy equipment also means eliminating the hunt for spare parts.
- Reduced complexity: Because the CEM network is Ethernet-based, the operational complexity is greatly reduced using common, IP-style management tools and a single pane of glass. Managing the network doesn’t require specialized knowledge.
- Carbon footprint compliance: Modernizing your network can be key to improving your carbon footprint and complying with new emissions limits, such as Local Law 97 in New York.
Migrating from a SONET/SDH network to one based on CEM requires careful planning and execution to ensure traffic is migrated safely from the current SONET/SDH environment to the CEM architecture. Effective planning and the right tools are key to minimizing risk while optimizing project accuracy and speed. We’re experts when it comes to network migrations, having safely performed numerous migrations for some of the world’s largest service providers and we’d like to show you how a CEM migration can streamline your network operations and create an IP-based path forward for your network.
For greater detail, including the process used to modernize a legacy SONET/SDH network, read our white paper
The white paper details how to prepare, plan, and execute your network modernization with CEM