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Mini-Link TN brochure (925KB )

Ericsson/MapleNet partnership news release

Ericsson Mini-Link Traffic Node

The MINI-LINK TN (Traffic Node) is a scalable and cost-effective microwave radio platform for applications that demand high reliability and flexibility. The MINI-LINK TN is the world's most widely deployed multiservice microwave system and it is optimized for use in carrier-grade transport networks such as mobile backhaul and multiservice access networks.

Key Features Include:

MINI-LINK TN was designed to support traditional operator services such as low speed TM (DS1, DS3), high speed TMD  (SONET) and Ethernet with both efficiency and a high degree of reliability.  Utilizing a Hybrid node technology, the MINI-LINK TN will transport Ethernet frames in their native format as well as TDM frames over the same radio link.  The Hybrid node allows the MINI-LINK TN to leverage the benefits of the statistical gain derived from Ethernet switching to ensure the maximum possible throughput over radio link.

The radio link can be configured to operate as an all TDM microwave transport or as an all Ethernet microwave or in a configurable combination of both TDM and Ethernet in increments of 1.5 Mbps.  This level of flexibility enables operators to utilize the highly efficient Ethernet transport to meet the unique demands of each cell site, while ensuring that existing TDM services will always have the radio link bandwidth they need for highly reliable transport of key customer traffic. Additionally, maintaining TDM traffic within a TDM frame ensures that cell site synchronization can be maintained without the complexity of alternative synchronization techniques for packet based timing.

Switching traffic from multiple 10/100 and Gigabit Ethernet ports with Ethernet streams from other MINI-LINK TN sites, coupled with the flexible chassis and interface options when combined with PDH and SONET multiplexing and protection mechanisms, offer operators a unique blend of scalable size with reliability. Providing operators with a product that can start as a mixed TDM and Ethernet platform and be converted to an all Ethernet platform as the market and customer traffic dictates provides operators a future proof platform that adjusts to the market, user behaviors and service mixes unique to every operators business.

Wherever the MINI-LINK TN is deployed, its compact, scalable nodes and unique features allow operators a much higher degree of flexibility in their network designs, leading to faster implementations at lower costs.  The MINI-LINK TN can scale from small end sites with a single or redundant microwave links through a hub site of microwave links using up to 5 modems to a common uplink and finally to a large aggregation site supporting as many as 19 modems. Both the intermediate site and the central hub site will leverage the statistical gain of Ethernet switching and the reliability of TDM frames to ensure the maximum utilization of the radio uplink.

A common radio unit provides the entire MINI-LINK point-to-point portfolio with all of the frequency and bandwidth options necessary to succeed in any leased-spectrum microwave deployment. The compact microwave radio utilizes cutting edge technology to ensure high reliability microwave communications to MINI-LINK TN users.

The agile radio can handle all the required capacities and modulations, using a complete range of antennas.