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
• 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

• SFP+
• SFP28
• SFP (mini-GBIC)

• IEEE 802.1Q
• IEEE 802.3ad