Cisco has launched a new single-slot 16-port 10Gb Ethernet line card for its ASR9000 edge router, typically used by service providers such as Deutsche Telekom and Verizon Wireless.
According to Cisco, at 10Gbps per port the new 10GE line card delivers over 100Gbps in total, with users now able to install up to 320 10Gb Ethernet ports per system. Cisco claimed the new card is an industry first, that it is "faster than any other forwarding module available", and "is designed to deliver massive scale, non-stop video experience and a reduced carbon footprint".
The company claimed the new card means the ASR9000 "leads the industry in density and scalability" because other vendors "are limited up to 50Gbps per slot today".
Cisco said its ASR 9000 line cards "are SyncE-ready, which means they inherently work with cell site routers to deliver seamless mobile handoffs." The company said this avoided the need for additional synchronization cards.
A key driver behind demand for the card's capabilities is the growth in video traffic, especially by the Apple iPhone, which mobile operators, vendors and analysts see as unlocking demand for mobile video, even though the bulk of the traffic, according to one analyst firm, comes from laptops and USB dongles.
As a result, service providers need to scale their mobile and fixed networks to meet the demand for video, IPTV and voice traffic, said Cisco.
The company said that "by 2013, the sum of all forms of video such as TV, video on demand, internet video and peer-to-peer will exceed 90 percent of global consumer traffic...fixed-network and mobile data combined is expected to grow 66-fold in the same period."
Prices were not available at the time of launch.
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