Yipes Goes With LuxN For Multiplexers

High-speed optical Ethernet services startup Yipes Inc. is equipping its 20 regional fiber networks with advanced equipment needed for the company to free up bandwidth on heavily-trafficked routes and to offer companies managed optical networks that typically provide high-speeds at a small fraction of the cost of traditional private-line services.

Yipes says it will use an unspecified amount of optical equipment from vendor LuxN Inc., which makes dense-wave-division multiplexers (DWDM) that squeeze more traffic onto fiber than older devices. The LuxN DWDM boxes enable up to 16 wavelengths, running on Yipes' 2.5-Gbit/s nets, which will be upgraded to 10 Gbits. Users will be able to lease individual and unshared wavelengths to support any protocol.

The LuxN equipment, which will complement Gigabit Ethernet switches from Extreme Networks Inc., will see first duty in Yipes' two biggest city networks, says a spokesman who would not identify them. In addition to making more efficient use of Yipes' fiber by cramming more traffic onto the same pipes, the LuxN gear will enable the service provider to offer enhanced service-level agreements with its optical Ethernet services

"It won't be very long before there are a whole lot of bargain-priced, managed-optical bandwidth in major metropolitan areas, which is where it's been most sadly lacking," says Lisa Pierce, an analyst at Giga Information Group. "After seeing what DWDM equipment could do for them in their networks, the light bulb lit," Pierce says. "A few are rolling out services based on that infrastructure."

Yipes will not be alone in selling managed DWDM-optical network packages to users. Lesser-known Metromedia Fiber Network Inc. has already signed up a few corporate customers for the service. And it, too, owns a great deal of fiber, though most of it is unlit until there's a need to run traffic over it.