Tellabs is adding native Ethernet switching and aggregation to its 7100 reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM), the company announced today.

Generally available in the fourth quarter, the new version of the 7100 will include a common switching fabric for Ethernet and Sonet/SDH traffic, allowing carriers to migrate from circuit-based traffic to packets at their own pace without the need for external devices.

Tellabs’ move follows a trend among major equipment vendors to combine optical networking with packet networking. Alcatel, for example, introduced the 100-Gb/s 1850 Transport Service Switch to the U.S. market a little over a year ago, about the same time Lucent Technologies (then a separate company) introduced its Universal Packet Mux, which performed similar functions. This summer Fujitsu Network Communications unveiled its 480-Gb/s Flashwave 9500 packet optical networking platform as its foray into the burgeoning space.

The 7100 has been a successful product for Tellabs, having been selected by Verizon and, reportedly, Qwest Communications. Last month Verizon Business announced a new “integrated optical” networking service for enterprises based on the 7100. And Tellabs is selling them cheaply; in April, the vendor reported selling the ROADM to major carriers at “breakeven” prices.