FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Mary Soules
Engage Communication, Inc.
1.877.ENGAGE4; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Aptos, CA. – May 20, 2008: Engage Communication super sizes the IP•Tube T1/E1 Circuit extension over Ethernet solution. The Engage SuperTube option combines four T1/E1 circuits into a single IP packet stream. The SuperTube reduces the encapsulation overhead bandwidth and the packet frequency by 75% by multiplexing the 4 T1/E1s together and then transporting them as a bundle within a single IP packet. This provides significant network advantages when backhauling existing T1 or E1 circuits over IP using wireless radio technologies.
Bandwidth Reduction
The typical way to extend T1/E1 circuits across packet networks is for each T1/E1 to be encapsulated into individual IP packet streams. By multiplexing up to 4 T1/E1 circuits into a single packet interface the SuperTube reduces total required bandwidth. The SuperTube’s reduction of over head of 75% results in bandwidth reduction of 50% for four full E1s at a 250 microsecond packetization rate.
The amount Wide Area Networking bandwidth required to extend a T1/E1 circuit across an IP network when a single T1/E1 circuit is being packetized at a rate of 250 microseconds is double the circuit line rate. At that rate to transport eight E1s without the SuperTube would require 32 megabits. By putting the payload from 4 T1/E1 circuits into a single IP packet the percentage of overhead is only 20%.
Packet Processing
Another major benefit of the SuperTube is the 75% reduction of the number of packets per second required to extend four T1/E1 circuits across an IP WAN. The packet processing for 4 independently encapsulated bidirectional T1/E1 circuits at 250 microseconds packetization (4 T1/E1 frames per packet), is 32,000 packets per second. The SuperTube option cuts the packet processing requirement to 8,000 packets per second.
Extension of Circuits via Wireless Ethernet
Converting T1/E1 circuits to IP and extending them using Ethernet significantly reduces network operational expenses. Using Wireless or wired Ethernet enables the system provider to eliminate monthly leased line circuit costs. However, the packet forwarding limitations of Wide Area Networks is most prevalent when Wireless Ethernet Bridges are employed. Wireless Ethernet Bridges have performance limitations in regard to bandwidth and to how many packets they are able to forward per second (PPS). The PPS performance of wireless Bridges is impacted significantly when they are forwarding full duplex real time data. 802.11A/G/N and WiMax Ethernet radios are not supposed to receive packets from the remote Ethernet radio when they are transmitting. The Wireless Bridge’s packet operation is comparable to that of a half duplex Ethernet hub.
The SuperTube makes it possible for COTs Wireless Ethernet solutions to reliably extend 4 T1/E1 low latency circuits across significant distances. The Wireless Ethernet’s bandwidth is dependent upon the quality of the wireless link. 32,000 packets per second full duplex is not something that 802.xx and WiMax wireless radios are able to reliably process. Additionally the bandwidth reduction is required to fit T1/E1 low latency circuits within the demodulated data rate of the Wireless Modems and their lost packet retransmission algorithms. The wireless radios need to have spare bandwidth available for retransmission of dropped packets.
Cellular Backhaul
Engage’s SuperTube is specifically designed to efficiently support Cellular Backhaul’s tight latency requirements when multiple T1/E1 circuit interconnects are to be extended over Packet networks.
Cellular Backhaul has latency requirements that can be as stringent as four milliseconds. In order to rate adapt the T1 circuit clock and to take into account the jitter of the Ethernet buffering of the circuit extended packets is required. The frequency of the packets may need to be as low as 250 micro seconds to meet the latency and buffering requirements.
Cellular Backhaul over wireless Ethernet is a very compelling alternative to paying leased line services. The expansion of use of Cell phones to carry Video and Internet access is dramatically increasing the number of T1/E1 WAN connections to Cell Base Stations. The substantial reduction of packet frequency and bandwidth enables the use of Commercial Off the Shelf wireless radios such as 802.11A/G/N and WiMax for the backhaul of real time full duplex T1/E1 circuits with latency low enough to support Cellular Backhaul.
“Engage’s eight years of T1/E1 circuit over Ethernet IP packet product development enabled us to readily deliver the SuperTube” said Mark Doyle Engage President. “Additionally the extra bandwidth available from the reduction of overhead facilitates the use of Engage’s Assured Delivery Protocol. The combination of the SuperTube and Assured Delivery efficiently and reliably achieves the backhaul cost elimination objective.”
Engage Communication, founded in 1989, has ROHS compliant solutions that enable organizations to route, bridge, encrypt, and auto protect Voice/Video/Data Networks and to take advantage of the lower costs and flexibility associated with Packet transport while preserving their investment in Circuit based premises equipment such as: PBXs, Phone Switches, Voice and Data Multiplexers, Video and Audio Codecs, and Encryptors...