* Metrobility’s RA21 to support Ethernet in the First Mile
Metrobility Optical Systems this week is aiming at low cost and simplicity as it unveils a product to support Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM).
The company introduced the RA21 Optical Network Unit, a device that would act as the demarcation point between a user’s premises and a metro-area service provider.
While the EFM standard is still in the works, Metrobility President and CEO Alex Saunders says the standard is very far along and should be complete next year. Still, Metrobility’s gear doesn’t use the frame format specified in the draft standard and instead uses a proprietary system, so a firmware update will be required next year.
With EFM, an Ethernet network is extended over the access line between end users and carriers. The RA21 supports Ethernet over copper, multimode fiber and single-mode fiber, for distances that can range up to 100 kilometers.
The big difference between this and previous models the company offered is the size and price. The RA21 is “like a set-top box,” Saunders says, as opposed to the rack-mounted previous versions. The device has a list price that starts at $900 and goes up to $3,200, depending on the optics required.
The RA21 autonegotiates between 10M bit/sec and 100M bit/sec on the customer side. Interestingly, Saunders says some carriers have inquired about speeds ranging up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet, which seems odd for an access technology, but he says they’re interested in it more for the troubleshooting capabilities Metrobility offers. The company doesn’t have any plans for such a high speed, but it probably will do it eventually, Saunders says.
