Nortel Networks Corp. unveiled a line of next-generation optical networking products Monday, promising to deliver "massive bandwidth" and integrated network transmission speeds of between 40 and 80 Gbps. The company says the products will deliver the lowest cost per managed bit in the industry.

"This is absolutely needed with the bandwidth explosion that is happening," says Benoit Fleury, Nortel's director of marketing for optical Internet solutions. Nortel says the system will be able to carry more than 5,000 Gigabit Ethernet connections over a single fiber pair, equivalent to a million DVD movies streamed in real time.

The highlight of the product line is the OPTera Long Haul 5000, an optical line system designed to carry high bandwidths of data over long distances without requiring that the signal be regenerated. The system will initially be optimized to carry 104 wavelengths at 40 Gbps for more than 745 miles. Additionally, the company unveiled an optical switch, the OPTera Connect HDX, which has a capacity of 3.8 to 40 terabits of data. Nortel says it's the first switch to support networks running at both 10 and 40 Gbps, allowing it to bridge current and next-generation networks. The products will begin shipping later this year.

Fleury says the real value of these next-generation technologies to customers is that they provide networks with significantly better capacity and reach. "It's about allowing service providers to stay ahead," he says. "Bandwidth no longer becomes a bottleneck."