Adtran Expands Ethernet, UC Offerings

Already supplying a full line of networking products, AdTran has extended its Carrier Ethernet enterprise offerings with a family of modular routers that support sustained throughput up to 750 Mbps.

The company also launched its NetVanta Unified Communications (UC) Solution Suite, aimed at accommodating from 5 to 2,000 users primarily in the SMB space.

"The unique aspect of AdTran is that we can provide end-to-end coverage from the central office all the way to the desktop," said Todd Lattanzzi, senior product manager, in an interview. "We're finding that the prevalence of Ethernet is increasingly going to drive quality of service. With Ethernet it's easy to do an in-place upgrade."

The three new AdTran models are the NetVanta 3450, 3458, and 4430. The first two provide support for multiple T1s or E1s of bandwidth and 45 Mbps of Carrier Ethernet. The 4430, simplifies deployment for higher-bandwidth Carrier Ethernet services while addressing the need for efficient, cost-effective solutions, with support for up to 750 Mbps.

Lattanzzi noted that with a wide offering of networking devices, AdTran believes it can differentiate itself by making it easy to upgrade its network configurations. He said the three new carrier Ethernet models can be tailored for IP telephony, corporate connectivity, and Internet access. Lattanzzi expects to see the models get heavy usage in retail, education, and medicine.

The Carrier Ethernet market has broken out in recent months even as the U.S. economy has been mired in a deep recession. Global service providers have been working overtime to meet the exploding demand while at the same time they have been working to drive down prices.

Michael Howard, principal analyst at Infonetics Research, said AdTran’s new platforms provide an advantage to service providers because they simplify installation and customer use through their multiple Carrier Ethernet deployment options. “These new platforms will allow service providers to have a single vendor lineup,” Howard said in a statement.

In a separate announcement, AdTran's new Unified Communications Solution Suite follows the firm's emphasis on ease of installation.

"This is really our first step into the UC market," said David Schenkel, senior technology analyst in AdTran's Enterprise Networks Division. "A single disk installation can take 20 minutes. If you have a Microsoft configuration, you can save up to $100 per year per user."

Noting that the UC solution is Microsoft wizard-driven, Schenkel said the new UC offering has been designed to be used by "ordinary people" and can be managed from a single central location.