The Cisco 2-Port Channelized OC-12/STM-4 SPA is available on high-end Cisco routing platforms offering the benefits of network scalability with lower initial costs and ease of upgrades. The Cisco SPA/SIP portfolio continues the Cisco focus on investment protection along with consistent feature support, broad interface availability, and the latest technology. The Cisco SPA/SIP portfolio allows different interfaces (Packet over SONET/SDH [POS], ATM, Ethernet, etc.) to be deployed on the same interface processor.

Internet traffic continues to grow at an explosive rate, with the number of users doubling each year. This unsurpassed growth is increasing the demand for higher-capacity interfaces from OC-3/STM-1 to OC-48/STM-16. In addition, POS enables efficient transport of IP traffic and uses SONET/SDH concatenated payloads (that is, STS-3c/VC-4, STS-12c/VC-4-4c, or STS-48c/VC-4-16c) to achieve a higher order of statistical multiplexing. At present, concatenated services at VC-4 rates are available only in some parts of the world (for example, Europe), with higher rates not yet readily available. The new channelized OC-12/STM-4 SPA provides customers in these areas with an STM-4 POS interface that can be provisioned through the traditional network. The Cisco 2-Port Channelized OC-12/STM-4 SPA builds on the SONET/SDH channelization capability.