Fortunately, advances in chip-level engineering have solved many of the issues plaguing copper automation in the past and have given service providers a viable technology for implementation within distribution frames. New, patented devices have emerged that dramatically reduce the cost and size of electromechanical cross-connects, supporting thousands of any-to-any connections in a single 23-inch wide, seven-foot high bay. While offering true metallic switching capabilities in an extremely high-density platform, these new devices finally make large copper switches economically feasible and available for actual deployment.

This new breed of copper cross-connect is often equipped with intelligent routing software and a scalable switching architecture that enables it to grow linearly with subscriber demands. With this technology, a fully automated distribution frame can scale to the largest CO configuration, maintaining any-to-any connectivity at a fairly constant price per port—regardless of the size of deployment.

Figure 4. Advances in chip-level design enable thousands of any-to-any connections to be provided in a single telco rack. Intelligent routing software and advanced switching architectures enable these copper cross-connects to grow linearly with line counts.

By combining integral service verification and testing capabilities with this breakthrough metallic-layer switching functionality, service providers can completely automate connectivity, verification, and ongoing maintenance of their copper infrastructure. With comprehensive management software that integrates with service-activation, workflow, and service-assurance systems, local-exchange carriers (LECs) can finally implement completely automated distribution frames.