Active Ethernet | Calix Debuts AXOS Gigabit Ethernet Solution

Calix, Inc. has announced a new AXOS Gigabit Ethernet solution that streamlines operations across the entire network. This future proofing of Active Ethernet (AE) is driven by abstracting AE services from the ONTs and associated servers into the AXOS platform, removing dependence on the hardware.

These advancements reinvigorate the current AE market and provide a path forward for those communications service providers (CSPs) that have invested in the Point-to-Point/Active Ethernet technology.

As is the case with GPON, 10G PON, or Gfast, by abstracting services for AE into the AXOS platform, CSPs create a common operation, service management and provisioning model, dramatically simplifying service deployments. Additionally, Calix has aligned its Professional Services to help accelerate AE deployments and reduce the time to market for CSPs.

This new functionality runs on the E7-2 Intelligent Modular System, delivering all the benefits of AXOS to point-to-point Gigabit Ethernet deployments. Software-defined ONT management and service provisioning are natural extensions of the hardware independent AXOS platform. Now, CSPs with AE networks have the flexibility to adopt new architectures without changing their operating system.

Common service models and stateful operations reduce OSS/BSS integration time, increase operational efficiency, and deliver massive cost savings. CSPs can also manage their unified network and troubleshoot connectivity issues in real-time with the AXOS Diagnostics Toolbox.

Finally, the new AXOS Active Ethernet Migration Services provides design, turn up, and system testing as well as automated ONT management and subscriber migration assistance. These services are allowing network operators to complete subscriber migrations at one-fourth the cost and in one-fourth the time it would take to do it themselves.

“The lack of ONT management in the line card means Active Ethernet networks have had to rely on an operationally complex, back-office process,” said Marianna Angelou, principal research analyst, service provider technology for IHS Markit. “Removing the need for remote servers simplifies the ONT management process, addressing one of the primary issues affecting the Active Ethernet market and enabling service providers to offer non-shared, symmetric bandwidth.”

The new AXOS Gigabit Ethernet GE-24 r2 line card future proofs Active Ethernet with:

•Rapid deployment of high-density business and residential services
•Simplified network operations through consolidation of back-office servers
•Optimized service delivery with enhanced diagnostic capabilities

“Earlier this year, we launched our Gigabit Ethernet line card for the AXOS E7-2 Intelligent Modular System, bringing the power of AXOS to Active Ethernet networks,” said Shane Eleniak, senior vice president of platforms for Calix. “With this AXOS release, ONT management is simplified as well—enabling a massive disruption to the Active Ethernet market. For the first time, service providers running these types of point-to-point networks can manage them the same way they would manage PONs. This will be a game changer for many service providers, and they can embrace it now.”