Routers & Gateways

Cisco NCS 540 Small Density Routers are temperature-hardened, conformal-coated platforms with advanced timing (Class C), security, and QoS features that revolutionize sub-100G routing by bringing the power of the IOS XR operating system to 3G/4G/5G cell sites (CSRs) and ease "IP" fication of Radio Access Network (RAN) and small-cell backhaul.

Product overview

The next phase of the network traffic explosion will be driven by use cases that make massive demands on communication service providers. Not only do these new-age applications stipulate greater data bandwidth, but they also need to be complemented by ultra-reliable, low-latency communications to deliver use cases like AR/VR media, UltraHD and new multimedia consumer experiences, massive Internet of Things (IoT), tactile internet, smart cities, AI surveillance, smart health, and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications such as smart meters.

Cisco Network Convergence System 540 (NCS 540) Small Density Routers, part of the larger NCS 540 router family, are compact 1RU systems designed for cost-effective delivery of next-generation services and applications for mobile and wireline. These routers are sub-100G-bandwidth, cost-effective, native-25G, carrier-class, I-Temp, conformal-coated, 232-mm-deep, ETSI-compliant, ultra-low-power, 1RU devices capable of Class-C timing, best-in-class security, service exposure using NC/YANG, streaming telemetry, and flexible rollouts using SDN. Built for deployment in any-gen RAN backhaul, sub-6 5G cell sites, Fixed-Wireless Access (FWA), small-cell backhaul, FTTx, utilities, mission-critical enterprise applications, and low-speed Ethernet rings, the three variants of NCS 540 Small Density Routers support a programable SR (segment routing) fabric and EVPN (Ethernet Virtual Private Network) as overlay for a unified end-to-end architecture with cross-domain orchestration via the industry-leading IOS XR software bundled with best-in-class services.

Key product highlights

• Cell site routers based on IOS XR extending Cisco's 5G Converged SDN Transport with the smallest footprint, ever
• The only router in the industry with native 25G interfaces in a sub-100G bandwidth form factor allowing cost-effective and seamless backhauling of 5G NR
• G.8273.2 Class C Timing complaint
• Low power consumption: minimum <40W, typical <70W, maximum 100W
• Height: 1 RU; width: 445 mm; depth: 232 mm
• Dual power supplies for both AC and DC variants and redundant fans: 3+1
• Suitable for indoor or outdoor (Sealed IP65/IP66 cabinet with heat exchanger conforming to GR487 Specs with sufficient cooling) cabinets: I-Temp, conformal-coated form factors conforming to GR-3108 class 2 and ETSI standards
• Side-to-side airflow
• Segment Routing with MPLS (SR-MPLS) and IPv6 data plane (SRv6)
• Versatile Ethernet interface options: 10/100/1000M, 1/10/25G

The next phase of the network traffic explosion will be driven by use cases that make massive demands on communication service providers. Not only do these new-age applications stipulate greater data bandwidth, but they also need to be complemented by ultra-reliable, low-latency communications to deliver use cases like AR/VR media, UltraHD and new multimedia consumer experiences, massive Internet of Things (IoT), tactile internet, smart cities, AI surveillance, smart health, and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications such as smart meters.

Cisco Network Convergence System 540 (NCS 540) Small Density Routers, part of the larger NCS 540 router family, are compact 1RU systems designed for cost-effective delivery of next-generation services and applications for mobile and wireline. These routers are sub-100G-bandwidth, cost-effective, native-25G, carrier-class, I-Temp, conformal-coated, 232-mm-deep, ETSI-compliant, ultra-low-power, 1RU devices capable of Class-C timing, best-in-class security, service exposure using NC/YANG, streaming telemetry, and flexible rollouts using SDN. Built for deployment in any-gen RAN backhaul, sub-6 5G cell sites, Fixed-Wireless Access (FWA), small-cell backhaul, FTTx, utilities, mission-critical enterprise applications, and low-speed Ethernet rings, the three variants of NCS 540 Small Density Routers support a programable SR (segment routing) fabric and EVPN (Ethernet Virtual Private Network) as overlay for a unified end-to-end architecture with cross-domain orchestration via the industry-leading IOS XR software bundled with best-in-class services.

Key product highlights

• Cell site routers based on IOS XR extending Cisco's 5G Converged SDN Transport with the smallest footprint, ever
• The only router in the industry with native 25G interfaces in a sub-100G bandwidth form factor allowing cost-effective and seamless backhauling of 5G NR
• G.8273.2 Class C Timing complaint
• Low power consumption: minimum <40W, typical <70W, maximum 100W
• Height: 1 RU; width: 445 mm; depth: 232 mm
• Dual power supplies for both AC and DC variants and redundant fans: 3+1
• Suitable for indoor or outdoor (Sealed IP65/IP66 cabinet with heat exchanger conforming to GR487 Specs with sufficient cooling) cabinets: I-Temp, conformal-coated form factors conforming to GR-3108 class 2 and ETSI standards
• Side-to-side airflow
• Segment Routing with MPLS (SR-MPLS) and IPv6 data plane (SRv6)
• Versatile Ethernet interface options: 10/100/1000M, 1/10/25G
• Security - Trust Anchor infrastructure, secure boot, image signing, run-time defense
• True, secure zero-touch provisioning with the Cisco Crosswork^™ automation suite
• Fully compliant to MEF3.0 architecture for wireline networks
• Flexible consumption model

Cisco NCS 540 Small Density Routers are temperature-hardened, conformal-coated platforms with advanced timing (Class C), security, and QoS features that revolutionize sub-100G routing by bringing the power of the IOS XR operating system to 3G/4G/5G cell sites (CSRs) and ease "IP" fication of Radio Access Network (RAN) and small-cell backhaul.

Product overview

The next phase of the network traffic explosion will be driven by use cases that make massive demands on communication service providers. Not only do these new-age applications stipulate greater data bandwidth, but they also need to be complemented by ultra-reliable, low-latency communications to deliver use cases like AR/VR media, UltraHD and new multimedia consumer experiences, massive Internet of Things (IoT), tactile internet, smart cities, AI surveillance, smart health, and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications such as smart meters.

Cisco Network Convergence System 540 (NCS 540) Small Density Routers, part of the larger NCS 540 router family, are designed for cost-effective delivery of next-generation services and applications for mobile and wireline. These routers are sub-100G-bandwidth, cost-effective, native-25G, carrier-class, I-Temp, conformal-coated, ETSI-compliant, ultra-low-power, devices capable of Class-C timing, best-in-class security, service exposure using NC/YANG, streaming telemetry, and flexible rollouts using SDN. Built for deployment in any-gen RAN backhaul, sub-6 5G cell sites, Fixed-Wireless Access (FWA), small-cell backhaul, FTTx, utilities, mission-critical enterprise applications, and low-speed Ethernet rings, the three variants of NCS 540 Small Density Routers support a programmable SR (segment routing) fabric and EVPN (Ethernet Virtual Private Network) as overlay for a unified end-to-end architecture with cross-domain orchestration via the industry-leading IOS XR software bundled with best-in-class services.

Key product highlights

• Cell site routers based on IOS XR extending Cisco's 5G Converged SDN Transport with the smallest footprint, ever
• The only router in the industry with native 25G interfaces in a sub-100G bandwidth form factor allowing cost-effective and seamless backhauling of 5G NR
• G.8273.2 Class C Timing complaint
• Low power consumption: minimum <40W, typical <70W, maximum 100W
• 1 RU small form factor routers. Passively cooled (fanless) variant is of 2.5 RU form factor
• 2.5 RU passively cooled (fanless) router is suitable for indoor or outdoor cabinets
• 1RU routers with fans are suitable for indoor or outdoor (Sealed IP65/IP66 cabinet with heat exchanger conforming to GR487 Specs with sufficient cooling) cabinets: I-Temp, conformal-coated form factors conforming to GR-3108 class 2 and ETSI standards
• Segment Routing with MPLS (SR-MPLS) and IPv6 data plane (SRv6)
• Versatile Ethernet interface options: 10/100/1000M, 1/10/25G

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

The Cisco Visual Network Index^™ forecasts that global IP traffic will increase threefold by 2021, driven by both mobile and wireline traffic.

This explosion will be driven by next generation technologies such as 5G for mobile, Remote PHY for cable and Carrier Ethernet evolution. The service provider network of the future will not just provide exponentially higher bandwidth at lower operating costs but will also be capable of enabling new applications such as pervasive mobile broadband, massive IoT, tactile Internet, smart cities, and virtual reality. A growing number of M2M applications, such as smart meters, video surveillance, healthcare monitoring, transportation, and package or asset tracking, are contributing in a major way to the growth of devices and connections.

The Cisco^® Network Convergence System 540 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. 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 ms
• Precise frequency and phase/time synchronization using the latest industry standards
• Integrated GNSS receiver
• Rich Quality of Service capabilities for different SLAs
• MEF 3.0 Compliant
• Excellent manageability
• Flexible consumption model