SONET may be called your network backbone, but it's really the spinal cord.
Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) is an optical fiber point-to-point or ring network backbone that provides a way to accommodate additional capacity as your needs increase. SONET lets you bundle all your network connections, such as multiple DS1 and DS3 circuits and native Ethernet, on one continuous optical fiber structure and connect existing protocols to it.
We are experts in providing SONET connectivity in metropolitan areas for organizations with data-intensive applications and currently have more than 106,000 SONET nodes and 7.7 million fiber strand miles in the AT&T network.
SONET also offers a cost-effective way to transport large amounts of data between small and large remote offices to your company's headquarters through a SONET optical carrier network (OCN) circuit with add/drop multiplexing.
We can design SONET ring service using a bi-directional line switched ring (BLSR) configuration to provide you a more consistent, maximized bandwidth between nodes. Such a configuration lets you transport bandwidth-intensive applications between specific locations and leverage your OC-48 or OC-192 SONET rings.
Unprotected, point-to-point services have a useful purpose for certain local applications, but a SONET ring structure has the power and capacity to fully integrate all your WAN traffic, making it an economical, enterprise-wide solution. We will help you determine the best configuration - with economics, simplicity, and future growth in mind - between a point-to-point or SONET ring service.
SONET lets you consolidate Ethernet, data, video, and voice traffic among your locations and AT&T central offices on a single, fail-safe platform. SONET can sustain as much as 9.95 gigabits per second (Gbps) of traffic, giving you the bandwidth to support all communications. You can use a SONET ring or point-to-point service in place of any analog private line, DS0, fractional DS1, DS1, and DS3 circuits that you have today. SONET provides your WAN reliability. Its ring architecture protects your WAN from a fiber cut or other service interruption.
Components
SONET uses these components:
Links - include interoffice facilities, the local loop, and alternate wire center. A link consists of two pairs of fiber optic transmission media connecting the nodes on the ring.
Access Ports - at the central office and your facilities are the application handoffs to enter and exit the ring. Access ports come in a variety of bandwidths: DS1, DS3, OC-3, OC-3/c, OC-12, OC-12/c, OC-48, OC-48/c, and various Ethernet interfaces.
Nodes - operate as the SONET add-drop multiplexer in a ring structure. Nodes are dedicated components located at the AT&T central office and your premises.
Optical Line Termination Equipment - forms a network interface (NI) for SONET OCN Point-to-Point service. This is the point where your network "plugs in" to the AT&T SONET service. We use an optical fiber distribution panel - equipment that is standard across the industry - for this purpose. You can purchase the equipment from us or provide compatible optical termination equipment via another source (e.g., directly from the manufacturer). This equipment translates the fiber optic signals traveling on SONET into electrical signals that your hardware can interpret. Consequently, you get all the benefits of fiber optic technology while maintaining the same premises equipment, such as routers, PBXs, computers, and computers.
Configuration types and bandwidth levels - You can think of a SONET ring that becomes a customized network solution to support your data, video, and voice transport needs. The components of a SONET solution include the type of configuration and the level of bandwidth. Multi-point service is yet another transport service consideration.
Choose from unidirectional path switched ring (UPSR) or bi-directional line switched ring (BLSR) for your ring needs.
BLSR - This service is ideal for transport requiring a great amount of bandwidth that is highly distributed. As a result, future bandwidth upgrades are less necessary. BLSR is available for OC-48 or OC-192 rings.
UPSR - This architecture is ideal for transport that is centralized or hubbed. UPSR is available for OC-3, OC-12, OC-48 and OC-192 SONET rings.
Options
The following options are available with SONET:
SONET Ring Service - In ring configurations, we design, install, provision, and provide 24x7 network monitoring through one of our Network Operations Centers for every node in your network. We can also supply additional equipment and maintenance for your business network needs. We anticipate offering Customer Network Management (CNM) to provide you a data feed or a graphical user interface (GUI) readout of your network performance in the near future.
Ethernet over SONET - Ethernet over SONET (EoS) is Ethernet data mapped to a SONET payload and carried over a synchronous optical network. EoS contains minimal SONET payload, providing you the necessary bandwidth for LAN-to-LAN interconnection. We implement EoS through ingress and egress ports on Dedicated SONET Ring Service and SONET Ring Access Service.
The Ethernet interfaces include 100 BaseT (offering 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps) and 1000 BaseSX and LX (offering 50 Mbps, 150 Mbps, 600 Mbps, and 1000 Mbps). The total number of circuits and total usable bandwidth depend on the transport speed you need as well as the specific traffic patterns you choose. We need to identify all the Ethernet interfaces prior to provisioning them so we can configure each node on the network with the appropriate port interface card. We will work with you to appropriately size and engineer the network to help ensure optimal performance. To do so, we monitor and forecast your Ethernet bandwidth to match the corresponding SONET bandwidth so it supports Ethernet frames across SONET. We will install, maintain, and monitor SONET carrying Ethernet traffic for you.
Ethernet over SONET Schematic
With an Ethernet over SONET option, you can magnify the power of SONET by including Ethernet protocol data as well as other protocols (e.g., ATM, frame relay, DSx transmissions, etc.) on your network.
Point-to-Point SONET Service - With Point-to-Point SONET service, you receive full network design, installation, provisioning, and 24x7 network monitoring from fiber network handoff to fiber network handoff. Additionally, you can choose a fully-managed customer premises equipment (CPE) and maintenance plan to cover handoff points.
OCN Point-to-Point Service 1+1 Protection
Point-to-Point 1+1 protection provides you with card-level protection at the AT&T wire centers. If you require end-to-end protection, SONET Ring Service is the solution.
Availability
SONET is available throughout the AT&T service areas of Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Ordering
Please contact your local AT&T account representative.
Services offered by AT&T DataComm. AT&T DataComm, Inc. is a Delaware corporation. "AT&T DataComm" is a d/b/a name registered to Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, LLP, in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, and registered to Pacific Bell Telephone Company in California.
