Routers & Gateways

Cisco^® Network Convergence System (NCS) 520 are next-generation Layer 2 and Layer 3 capable, MEF 3.0 Certified, customer-located devices and network demarcation devices for service providers. These 10 Gigabit Ethernet demarcation points redefine the demarcation between the customer LAN and a service provider's mobile and cloud applications. They provide standards-based demarcation as defined by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) for Carrier Ethernet services such as Ethernet point-to-point line (ELINE) and Ethernet multipoint-to-multipoint (ELAN) services, E-Tree, Access E-Line, Transit E-Line with advanced clocking and Quality of Service (QoS).

The Cisco Visual Network Index predicts that by 2023, 5G speeds will be 13 times higher than the average mobile connection and 66% of the global population will have internet access. There will be nearly 30 billion devices/connections by 2023 - 45% of those will be mobile and average broadband speeds will rise from 46 Mbps to 110 Mbps. With millions of users and devices connecting to the network, the demands on the service provider network will not be limited to higher bandwidth at lower operating costs but will also require the capabilities to support new applications such as pervasive mobile broadband, massive IoT, tactile internet, smart city and virtual reality.

The Cisco Network Convergence System 540 Medium Density Routers (NCS 540) are designed for cost-effective delivery of next-generation services and applications. These routers are temperature-hardened, high-throughput, small form factor, low-power-consumption devices suitable for both outdoor and indoor deployments. With in-built trust anchor hardware infrastructure and anti-counterfeit protection along with software enabled security features, NCS 540 is most trusted and secured platform. They are powered by the industry-leading carrier-class version of Cisco IOS XR software designed for operational efficiency and service agility. Cisco IOS XR software offers advanced features such as programmability, application awareness, network visibility, and automation. The Cisco NCS 540 series of routers is an intelligent converged access platform which enables service providers to deliver next-level business and entertainment experiences.

Key product highlights

• 1 RU small form factor with depth <300mm
• Side-to-side or front-to-back airflow
• Environmental hardened, suitable for deployments in indoor or outdoor cabinets
• Low power consumption, minimum <100W, typical <200W, maximum 250W
• Versatile Ethernet interface options: 10/100/1000M, 1/10/25/40/100G
• Low latency forwarding, typically <10 µs
• Precise frequency and phase/time synchronization using the latest industry standards
• Integrated GNSS receiver in some model
• Rich Quality of Service capabilities for different SLAs
• Security-Trust Anchor infrastructure, secure boot, image signing, run-time defense
• MEF 3.0 Compliant
• Excellent manageability
• Flexible consumption model
• Third-party app hosting

Cloud Scale for Metro Aggregation Networks

The Cisco^® Network Convergence System 5000 Series offers a high-density, small-form-factor MPLS aggregation router for metro aggregation. It is designed to economically scale large enterprise, over-the-top (OTT), and service provider data center networking architectures.

Product Overview

The Cisco NCS 5000 Series is an extension to Cisco's routing platform portfolio, enabling service providers and MPLS-enabled data center architectures to offer elastic networks with improved business agility and simplified operations to deliver high-bandwidth mobile, video, and cloud services.

It can also operate as an extension shelf of Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers using network virtualization (nV) technology, consolidating multiple layers in the network and dramatically reducing operational costs.

The Cisco NCS 5001 and NCS 5002 (Figure 1) are small form-factor dense GE/10GE aggregation systems. Powered by industry leading routing operation system Cisco IOS^® XR Software, the system also offers rich functions such as third party application hosting, machine-to-machine interface, telemetry, and flexible package delivery.

Cloud Scale for Metro Aggregation Networks

The Cisco® Network Convergence System 5000 Series offers a high-density, small-form-factor MPLS aggregation router for metro aggregation. It is designed to economically scale large enterprise, over-the-top (OTT), and service provider data center networking architectures.

Product Overview

The Cisco NCS 5000 Series is an extension to Cisco's routing platform portfolio, enabling service providers and MPLS-enabled data center architectures to offer elastic networks with improved business agility and simplified operations to deliver high-bandwidth mobile, video, and cloud services.

It can also operate as an extension shelf of Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers using network virtualization (nV) technology, consolidating multiple layers in the network and dramatically reducing operational costs.

The Cisco RF Gateway 1 is a standards-based universal edge QAM (U-EQAM) solution for convergence of high-speed and high-bandwidth data and video distribution at the edge of the cable access network. The Cisco RF Gateway 1 offers leading edge density, modularity, and flexibility with support for Switched Digital Video (SDV), VoD, Broadcast Video, and DOCSIS^®3.0/Modular CMTS (M-CMTS)^™all on a single QAM platform.

The Cisco RF Gateway 1 provides higher density (up to 96 QAMs per RU), improved reliability, superior RF performance, 1 GHz RF output, and DOCSIS 3.0/M-CMTS capability. It is fully integrated and tested as part of the Cisco Digital Broadband Delivery System (DBDS) and the Cisco uBR10012 M-CMTS solution, accelerating the deployment and easing the management of digital video and DOCSIS services. The Cisco RF Gateway 1 enables the converged next-generation cable access network by offering comprehensive video and DOCSIS functions in a single U-EQAM platform.

Applications

• SDV
• VoD (and other unicast services)
• Broadcast Video
• High Definition or Standard Definition Content
• DOCSIS 3.0 / M-CMTS Architecture
• 1 GHz Expansion

Features and Benefits

Primary Benefits

The compact Cisco RF Gateway 1 provides the following benefits for cable operators:

• Rapid time-to-market of QAM-based services to generate incremental revenue through a modular, flexible design based on a proven, fourth-generation QAM architecture
• Efficient use of capital expenditures through maximum spectrum efficiency (SDV, QAM Sharing, 1 GHz) and U-EQAM functionality (video and data) for flexibility and optimization in a variety of video and data network architectures
• Quality and reliability through a redundant architecture; full testing and integration with the Cisco DBDS Video Delivery System and the Cisco uBR10012 M-CMTS Architecture

Primary Features

The Cisco RF Gateway 1 provides up to 96 U-EQAM channels (for SDV, Broadcast, VoD, and DOCSIS 3.0/M-CMTS) in a compact 1 RU chassis. The modular design supports 16 QAM channels per module, with eight QAM channels per RF output port and frequency agility up to 1 GHz.

Primary features include:

• True U-EQAM video (broadcast, SDV, SD/HD, MPEG-2, AVC) and high speed data
• (M-CMTS/DTI, DOCSIS 3.0) in 1 RU form factor
• Manual or DEPI Control Plane modes supported
• Table-based or session-based video functionality
• Optional on-board Encryption: DVB^®SimulCrypt and PowerKEY^®SKS
• Utilizes Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) QAM technology which allows superior RF performance and stability
• 96 configurable QAM channels; each of which is fully agile 45-1000 MHz
• RF performance typically meets or exceeds CableLabs^®DRFI specification CM-SP-DRFI
• Modular, hot-swappable, and Auto-configurable QAM cards
• Support for up to 2048 streams in 1 RU
• Fully redundant design with redundant Gigabit Ethernet ports and power supplies (AC/AC, AC/DC, or DC/DC)
• Front-to-back airflow to allow self-cooling and stacking
• Compliance with ITU-T J.83 standard, Annex A (DVB), Annex B (ATSC), or Annex C (Japan)
• Internet Group Management Protocol Version 3 (IGMPv3) support
• Low power consumption per QAM
• Four or eight QAM channels per RF port available - independent of channel bandwidth (6, 7, and 8 MHz)
• Fully SNMP compliant