Wholesale: Products & Services

Private Line Transport (PLT) GeoMax™ - V13.0

Product Description

Private Line Transport (PLT) GeoMax™ service is a high speed, high capacity, multi-protocol data-networking solution. The service combines dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) technology with diverse interoffice fiber facilities, 24/7 proactive network monitoring and aggressive service level agreements (SLAs) to provide a total robust finished service. GeoMax uniquely supports both native and proprietary protocols, e.g., IBM mainframes as well as industry standard protocols such as synchronous optical network (SONET) and Ethernet. GeoMax service has the ability to support multiple protocols and applications on a single platform. Another key advantage DWDM technology offers is the transparency to the data riding on it. It is bit rate and protocol independent, thus guaranteeing customers the 100 percent throughput and low latency their applications demand.

GeoMax supports linear and ring configurations.

The components that make up GeoMax are:

• Premise node - located at the customer's premise, it is equipped with one shelf and common equipment that can support a maximum of 64 wavelengths when fully equipped with 8 shelves.
• CO node- located in CenturyLink™'s central office, it is equipped with one shelf and common equipment that can support a maximum of 64 wavelengths when fully equipped with 8 shelves.
• Network Access Channel (NAC) - Fiber Distribution Panel at customer premise connected to a CO Node.
• Additional shelf - is equipped with common equipment that can support a maximum of 4 protected wavelengths or 8 unprotected wavelengths. Each node can support up to eight shelves.
• Additional Wavelengths - May be added to either the premise node or central office node to support up to an additional 44 wavelengths.

• Amplifier node - Optical amplification provides strengthening of the optical signals or wavelengths to support greater distances that reach beyond normal DWDM optical signals.
• Interoffice transport mileage - Calculated as the air miles between serving wire centers for each Node (e.g., A to B, B to C, C to A).
• Ports are available in multiple protocols therefore a single system can include both protected and unprotected ports, as applicable.

Private Line Transport GeoMax™ supports linear and ring configurations.

• There are two linear configurations available:
  • Point-to-Point - This configuration is a two-node system that can support up to 8 shelves at each terminal site (32 protected or 64 non-protected customer interfaces).
  • Linear Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) - This configuration has more than two nodes. It can add or drop a customer signal at any of the sites within the same DWDM Band. Linear OADM supports only unprotected connections.
• There are three ring configurations available:
  • Hubbed Ring - Shelves in the OADM sites have a one-to-one correspondence with the shelves in the terminal site. A Hubbed Ring supports up to eight single-shelf OADM sites or a smaller number of multi-shelf sites.
  • Dual Hubbed Ring - Shelves in the OADM sites have a one-to-one correspondence with the shelves in the terminal site. A dual hubbed ring has two terminal sites.
  • Mesh Ring - This ring configuration enables the customer to connect across three or more customer locations and the ability to add/drop individual customer interfaces (wavelengths) from any location to any location. It supports up to a maximum of 40 shelves and a total of 9 sites.

Private Line Transport (PLT) GeoMax™ service can connect to the following CenturyLink provided services. Connections must be made at a CO Node:

• Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
• Synchronous Service Transport (SST)
• Self Healing Network Service (SHNS)

Synchronous Service Transport (SST) over GeoMax is a service option that is available to the customer for the purpose of transporting Digital Signal Level 1 (DS1) and Digital Signal Level 3 (DS3) signals across the customer's GeoMax Network. The customer will order both GeoMax and SST, and cross connect the SST nodes to the GeoMax nodes at the OC-N level. Service and design restrictions do apply, please refer to CenturyLink Technical Publications 77407 & 77346 for further information.

Technical Publication, GeoMax, 77407

Technical Publication, Synchronous Service Transport (SST), 77346

Availability

Private Line Transport GeoMax™ is available where facilities exist throughout CenturyLink QC.

Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions section does not apply to Private Line Transport (PLT) GeoMax™

Technical Publications

Technical characteristics, including Network Channel and Network Channel Interface (NC/NCI™) codes, are described in Technical Publication, GeoMax, 77407.

Pricing

Rate Structure

Recurring charges are comprised of the following rate elements:

• Customer Interface, per port
• Premise Node (includes one shelf)
• CO Node (includes one shelf)
• Network Access Channel (NAC)
• Additional Wavelengths
• Interoffice Transport Mileage, per airline Mile
• Amplification

Nonrecurring charges are comprised of the following rate elements:

• Customer Interface, per port
• Network Access Channel (NAC)

An initial service period of 36 or 60 months is required for GeoMax. At the end of the initial service period, GeoMax™ will automatically revert to the month-to-month plan. Service converted to the month to month plan can not be added to or changed, only upgraded to a term plan of 36 or 60 months or disconnected. New service cannot be obtained on month to month basis.

Rates

Rates are available in CenturyLink Corporation Rates and Services Schedule No.1 (QC RSS No.1) or in the state specific tariff or your Interconnection Agreement.

Tariffs, Rates and Service Schedules (RSS), Regulations and Policies

Tariffs, RSS, regulations and policies are located in the interstate QC RSS No.1 or state specific Tariffs/Catalogs/Price Lists.

Optional Features

Read-Only Monitoring is a read-only network monitoring using Nortel's System Manager residing on Nortel equipment. It allows customer to view ALL alarms and service performance parameters which CenturyLink NMS views. Uses customer provided/maintained dedicated workstation.

Features/Benefits

Features	Benefits
Uses protocol transparent wavelengths	Supports multiple protocols in a single platform, including non-traditional optical interfaces (SONET, Ethernet, FICON, Fibre Channel, ESCON, etc.).
Can support up to 88 wavelengths	High capacity system, with up to 880 Gbps total bandwidth (at 10 Gbps per wavelength). Excellent for fiber saver applications.
Can combine protected and unprotected customer interfaces on same system	Provides flexibility for multiple customer applications. Offers high SLAs for either option. Regardless of protection option, 24x7 dedicated, proactive monitoring is provided.
Available in point to point or ring architecture	Can provide service through many sites. Combined with features above, GeoMax is a powerful and flexible solution.

Applications

See Features/Benefits

Implementation

Product Prerequisites

If you are an Interexchange Carrier (IXC), Internet & Data (ISP) or Wireless Service Provider (WSP) and have questions regarding your contract with CenturyLink, contact your Account Team / Sales Executives and Service Managers for more information.

Pre-Ordering

An AQCB form must be submitted to the CenturyLink System Design Engineer or the Custom Solutions Engineer for a facilities check, by your Account Team /Sales Executives and Service Managers. If facilities are not available, then your CenturyLink Account Team representative will submit a Notification of Potential Sale. A mini-business case will be developed to determine if it is economical for CenturyLink to build facilities to support this request. In the event a facility build is required, additional information regarding the equipment and space requirements at the customer premise are found in the Customer Premise Site Visit Requirements for Fiber Based Services.

Contract Process: Interstate GeoMax Service must be purchased under contract.

Ordering

Private Line Transport (PLT) GeoMax™ service requests are submitted using the following Access Service Ordering Guidelines (ASOG) forms:

• Access Service Request
• Administrative
• Transport Request
• Service Address Location Information Form

Optional ASOG forms could include:

• Additional Circuit Information
• Ring
• Additional Ring Information

Field entry requirements are described in the Access Service Request (ASR) Forms.

Service requests can be placed using Electronic Administration and Service Order Exchange (EASE) Virtual Front Office (VFO), ]or one of the other methods described in CenturyLink ASR Ordering Systems.

If an AQCB ID number has been provided to you, that information must be populated into the VTA field after the contract term period: i.e. "36 AQCBID#".

Provisioning and Installation

GeoMax service is provided on an Individual Case Basis (ICB). For new service where facilities do not exist, the time between sale and final installation may take up to 180 days. New services where facilities exist may take up to 90 days.

If facilities are not available, then through AQCB a Business Case for funding is submitted for review and either granted or denied.

Maintenance and Repair

Contact your Account Team / Sales Executives and Service Managers for information.

Billing

Carrier Access Billing System (CABS) billing is described in Billing Information - Carrier Access Billing System (CABS).

Training

View CenturyLink courses in the Course Catalog.

Contacts

CenturyLink contact information is located in Wholesale Customer Contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of DWDM technology?
Key advantages of DWDM technology include transparency (i.e., bit rate and protocol independent) making it an ideal optical solution for supporting a customer's multi-protocol applications. It offers scalable bandwidth and quick service provisioning, enabling the offering of bandwidth virtually on demand. Its transparency allows customers to support multiple protocols and applications with a single platform. Customers have the flexibility to pick and choose the protection that fits their specific needs, down to interface or port level. Some challenges of DWDM technology include limited performance capabilities, still a new and evolving technology, thus customers are still in the early adopting stages.

2. What is included in GeoMax service?
The service includes all the necessary electronics equipment, including the DWDM, fiber facilities, SLAs, and 24/7 monitoring/management service by CenturyLink.

3. What is the SLA for GeoMax?
SLA (Service Level Agreements) consists of the following four parameters. Service Availability, Customer notification, Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) and Installation Guarantee.

4. Are there specific distance limitations?
Distance limitation varies depending on specific customer applications, protocols and characteristics of the fiber facilities involved.

If supported by the customer's specific application, optical amplification or regeneration can be deployed to extend the distance.

5. Where is the DWDM equipment physically located?
GeoMax DWDM equipment is generally located at customer premises or CenturyLink central office (CO). Locating at customer premises allows GeoMax to interface directly with customer equipment, avoiding possible distance limitations. However, in some ring configurations it's necessary for GeoMax DWDM equipment to be located at non-customer locations such as CenturyLink CO.

6. How is the service being managed and monitored?
GeoMax service is being managed and monitored remotely by the CenturyLink Network Operating Center (NOC) located in Salt Lake City, UT. The NOC performs 24/7 proactive network monitoring and management.

7. What are the key customer applications currently supported by GeoMax service?
GeoMax service can support a number of customer applications from data center mainframe connectivity to LAN/WAN internetworking applications. Data center applications can include applications such as data replication, load sharing and Storage Area Networks (SAN). LAN networking such as Gigabit Ethernet and SONET are the other common applications.

Last Update: January 30, 2017

CLLI™, CLCI™, NC/NCI™ are trademarks of Telcordia Technologies, Ins.

COSMIC™ is a trademark of Lucent Technologies, Inc.

GeoMax™ is a Trademark of CenturyLink™