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

Interfaces:

• 8x 10/1GE
• 4x 1GE SFP
• 4x 1GE RJ45
• 8x 1GE SFP or 16x 1GE cSFP