Transition Networks Inc., the fiber access technology expert which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Communications Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JCS), has already strengthened its regional presence with the acquisition of UK-headquartered TDM- and ISDN-over IP specialist Patapsco Designs Limited. The MEF-certified S3240, along with the other members of the ION suite of NIDs, will now be offered to help European telecoms and cable providers generate and preserve increased revenues when delivering Ethernet services.
Transition Networks continues to develop quality products for service providers that enable them to deliver Ethernet services for business and mobile backhaul applications within a reliable environment. These latest certifications prove our commitment to Carrier Ethernet and leading organizations like the MEF, said Dirk Steinkampf, Director of EMEA Sales and Operations. We believe the ION portfolio of NIDS will be instrumental in driving our expansion in Europe as more and more operators in the region transition to next generation Carrier Ethernet networks to exploit the improved cost, bandwidth, manageability and availability that the technology delivers. Interoperability, as verified by MEF-certification, is a critical consideration in this market space.
Designed for business Ethernet and mobile backhaul applications, the ION NIDs have been certified compliant to MEF 9, MEF 14 and MEF 21 requirements. The compliance tests and certification process were performed by Iometrix, Inc., a leading independent testing lab, on behalf of the MEF.
The MEF Carrier Ethernet Certification Program is designed to ensure that global equipment and services comply with MEF standards and pave the way for interoperability. MEF 9 and MEF 14 equipment certifications ensure delivery of compliant, high performance Carrier Ethernet services at the User Network Interface (UNI). MEF 9 verifies service delivery and functionality. MEF 9 consists of 244 test cases which cover the Ethernet Physical Interface, UNI Attributes, Service Frame Delivery and VLAN Tag support. MEF 14 verifies service performance and bandwidth profiles. MEF 14 consists of 170 test cases which cover Service Performance, Bandwidth Profiles and Bandwidth Rate Enforcement. MEF 21 certifies Link OAM functions of the MEF UNI Type 2. MEF 21 is based on IEEE 802.3-2005 Clause 57 and is key for large scale automated management of Carrier Ethernet service links. MEF 21 consists of 371 test cases which cover OAM Discovery, OAM PDUs and OAM TLVs.