Cisco Systems introduced a smaller version of its giant CRS-1 core router today while announcing Sprint as a customer of the platform.

The original CRS-1, introduced in 2004, had 16 slots and 40-Gb/s ports for a total capacity per chassis of 1.2 Tb/s. The eight-slot version, introduced last year, offered a per-chassis capacity of 640 Gb/s. The four-slot version unveiled today has a per-chassis capacity of 320 Gb/s.

The four-slot CRS-1, available starting in November at a list price of $160,000, is designed for deployment in regional points of presence (POPs) where the initial version of the router (designed for the largest POPs) wouldn’t fit. In particular, its depth was set at 800 millimeters, meeting the international standards for rack sizes.

The addition of video services requires carriers to crank up network capacity close to end users, Cisco said. A smaller size and lower cost allows carriers to put the CRS-1 closer to customers. The new router includes multicast capabilities to aid the delivery of those video services.

In addition to the new version, Cisco also announced today that Sprint will begin deploying all three versions of the CRS-1 in the fourth quarter.

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