Ukrtelecom, the state-owned telecommunications operator in Ukraine, has deployed a single-vendor access solution from RAD Data Communications to provide end-to-end Ethernet service throughout the country over its existing PDH/SDH infrastructure. By enabling Ethernet over existing PDH/SDH infrastructure, Ukrtelecom’s goal was to maximise operational flexibility, lower operating expenses (Opex) by using simple Layer 2 solutions, reduce capital expenses (Capex) by avoiding investment in expensive next-generation SDH equipment and cut both Capex and Opex by deploying a single box solution at their central offices. RAD’s carrier-class solution, moreover, provides full protection, including over tributaries, which is a feature unique to the market. At the customer premises, therefore, Ukrtelecom deployed RAD’s RICi-8E1 Network Termination Units (NTUs). These devices, owned and operated by the carrier, transport Fast Ethernet LAN and internet services (IP DSLAM backhauling) over up to eight bonded E1 lines to an SDH backbone. SDH backbones covering 26 regions around the country, in turn, converge on a central MPLS network. Multiple E1 lines are groomed together onto a single STM-1 link using RAD’s Optimux-1551 STM-1 high-capacity terminal multiplexer and then handed to RAD’s Egate-100 channelised Ethernet gateway, which interconnects with Gigabit Ethernet traffic on the MPLS network. Together, these RAD products provide a full access solution from Ukrtelecom’s central site all the way to each customer’s premises.
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