Cisco makes router leap
Vendor launches 'biggest and fastest' net product
Networking vendor Cisco has launched its biggest and fastest internet router, which it has claimed will increase capacity of the technology 100-fold.
John Chambers, chief executive of Cisco, called the product the company's "biggest jump in innovation since our first router 20 years ago".
The Carrier Routing System (CRS-1) is designed to be used primarily by telcos, but it also may interest large multinational companies building high-speed networks. The system supports up to 92 terabits per second of throughput and 40Gbps internet connectivity.
Chambers said the router is the next generation. "We are thinking of a lifecycle of 15, 20, even 25 years. This will drive a whole new set of applications for our customers to provide to consumers and businesses" he said.
Keith Humphreys, managing consultant at analyst EuroLAN Research, said the router defines the vendor in the high end.
"Cisco covers the entire market with its proliferation," he said. "It works in the SME and large corporate markets equally well. It's trying to be both. This is a quantum leap."
The CRS-1 uses a new version of Cisco's router operating system, IOS XR. This provides the basis for new functions and the ability to add extra features in the future.