MRV Achieves U.S. Gov. Rural Development Acceptance for OptiSwitch Product Line

CHATSWORTH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MRV COMMUNICATIONS, INC., today announced its OptiSwitch 900 demarcation series (OS900) and OptiSwitch 9000 aggregation series (OS9000) have qualified for technical acceptance based upon the standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS). MRV is a leading networking company with a full line of packet-optical transport (P-OTS), carrier Ethernet, 40G networking and out-of-band networking products.

“This RUS acceptance certifies our entire first mile carrier Ethernet solution and I am thrilled to see that MRV is able to be a part of this critical initiative.”

RUS oversees a multi-billion dollar budget designed to encourage the availability of telecommunication services in rural or under-served areas. This RUS endorsement means that rural independent telephone operating companies (IOCs) will qualify for a subsidization of their fiber optic transport rollouts if they deploy MRV’s OptiSwitch solutions. To be technically certified, equipment must meet the USDA Rural Development's standards for a variety of hazards including corrosion, weather, fire, earthquake and vandalism.

MRV's OS900 demarcation and OS9000 aggregation families are award-winning compact carrier-Ethernet switching platforms. The OS900 demarcation series enables premium Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) manageable Ethernet services with extensive traffic management that gives carriers the ability to differentiate their service portfolio and maintain strict service level agreements (SLAs) in the last mile. With a comprehensive suite of operations, administration and maintenance (OAM), the OS900 series can provide network fault and performance management at the network demarcation point to dramatically reduce operating expenses by up to 75% in some cases. This significant reduction of OPEX is achieved through embedded multi-layer diagnostic tools from the physical layer such as optical and electrical cable faults, power fault (dying gasp IEEE802.3ah), turn-up throughput tests with integrated RFC2544, and per service layer OAM (IEEE 802.1ag/ITU-T Y.1731 and IP-SLA) to measure connectivity and performance (latency, jitter and loss) over L2 and L3 VPN networks.

The OS9000 aggregation series offers a wide range of aggregation models for first and second mile fiber-optic infrastructure. The solution also includes optical modularity with wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technology integration to address fiber-optimized transport for business and residential services in first and second mile provider networks.

“With the Broadband Initiatives Program enacted earlier this year allocating $2.5 billion to be awarded to build broadband infrastructure in rural areas, RUS acceptance is more important than ever,” said Noam Lotan, chief executive officer of MRV Communications. “This RUS acceptance certifies our entire first mile carrier Ethernet solution and I am thrilled to see that MRV is able to be a part of this critical initiative.”

About OptiSwitch

MRV's OptiSwitch family is an award-winning line of compact carrier Ethernet switching platforms that range from the OptiSwitch 9000 metro Ethernet aggregation products to the OS900 demarcation series. OptiSwitch products offer service providers a full suite of carrier-grade Ethernet services along with high-availability, enhanced quality of services, security, TDM circuit emulation and Ethernet operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) support. This uniquely full suite of OAM tools creates flexible service awareness and rigid SLAs. OptiSwitch products meet IEEE, ITU, IETF standards and MEF specifications, offering complete control to simplify deployment and management while maintaining full interoperability and visibility into customer and provider networks.

About MRV Communications, Inc.

MRV Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of packet switching, packet optical (POTS), physical layer and out-of-band networking equipment, services and optical components for high-speed carrier and enterprise networks and specialized aerospace, defense and other communications networks. Through its wholly owned SourcePhotonics, Inc. subsidiary, the company provides optical communications components for access and fiber-to-the-premises applications. MRV markets and sells its products worldwide, with operations in Europe that provide network system design, integration and distribution. For more information please call (978) 431-5011 or visit our websites at www.mrv.com and www.sourcephotonics.com.