Optical tester suits ROADM networks

The TLS-55 Smart Optical tester provides a highly accurate method for measuring the true optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) in reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) networks.

JDSU has released the TLS-55 Smart Optical tester, a handheld, battery-powered tunable laser source.

Designed to support ROADM network test applications, the tester is fully compatible with the JDSU optical spectrum analyser for the T-BERD/MTS-8000, which uses a new, highly accurate method for measuring the true optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) in reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) networks.

The tester is designed for channel routing applications such as wavelength tracking, in ROADM networks.

JDSU is the industry leader in ROADM solutions for telecommunications applications, with a broad portfolio of ROADM technologies and solutions for metro to long-haul networks.

"ROADM networks present test challenges that require a deep knowledge of the architectures involved", said Enzo di Luigi, General Manager of JDSU's Fibre Optics Communications Test and Measurement Group.

"JDSU offers the industry's most innovative fibre field test solutions, including those for ROADM networks, and the TLS-55 Smart Optical tunable laser source is yet another JDSU optical test solution that will enable the efficient and flexible delivery of next-generation ROADM networks".

The TLS-55 is available in two models.

The TLS-55C covers all ITU-T frequencies from 1528.384 to 1563.863nm based on a 50GHz grid.

The additional wavelength of 1510nm ensures testing of optical supervisory channels.

The TLS-55L is the complementary laser source to address applications in the L-band form 1570.42 to 1608.76nm.

Additional features of the TLS-55 include an adjustable output power level, a power supply management system on the market with three-way powering, a USB port for remote operation, a robust, shock-proof, and splash-proof design for field operation, and quick-start operation, requiring no warm-up time and reducing testing time.

JDSU's OSA-320, an in-band optical spectrum analyser (OSA) for the T-BERD/MTS-8000, incorporates a new method for true optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) measurement in ROADM networks, allowing it to test optical performance in the Agile Optical Network (AON).

An AON is a dynamically reconfigurable DWDM network that is designed to accelerate triple-play service deployment, simplify network management and enable advanced wavelength applications at significantly reduced costs.

In the AON, each channel may traverse different routes, optical amplifiers, and add-drop filters, resulting in different OSNR for each channel.

Conventional OSA measurements are unreliable, as they indicate OSNR values that are too high -- up to 10dB above the true OSNR.

JDSU's OSA-320 follows a new optical polarisation splitting (OPS) method for measuring OSNR inside the optical channel (in-band OSNR), providing the highly accurate, true OSNR.

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