The Nortel NT8E11DS is a plug-in interface card belonging to Nortel's OC-48 (2.488 Gbps) optical transmission product family, part of the NT8E11xx series of cards used within Nortel's optical transport/DWDM platforms (such as the OPTera and Metro DWDM systems). OC-48 is a SONET/SDH transmission standard supporting a line rate of approximately 2,488 Mbps. This part is confirmed to exist in multiple telecom parts distributor catalogs (TXO, Chicago Tech) as part of the broader Nortel OC-48 card family, alongside variants such as NT8E11FQ, NT8E11HR, NT8E11MS, and others — the suffix code typically differentiates hardware revision or specific interface parameters within the same base card type. The exact functional role (e.g., line card, transponder, regenerator) for the "DS" variant specifically was not confirmed in publicly available sources.
Key Features:
- Plug-in card for Nortel OC-48 (SONET/SDH) optical transport platforms
- Part of the NT8E11xx OC-48 card family
- Sourced through the secondary/refurbished telecom market to support legacy Nortel optical network maintenance
Technical Specifications:
- Manufacturer Part Number: NT8E11DS
- Manufacturer: Nortel Networks
- Transmission Standard: OC-48 (SONET) / STM-16 (SDH), approx. 2,488 Mbps line rate
- Product Family: NT8E11xx OC-48 series
- Form Factor: Plug-in printed board assembly for Nortel optical transport shelf
- Note: Exact card function (e.g., specific line card type, wavelength, connector type) was not confirmed in a standalone public datasheet — recommend verifying against the physical card label or Nortel/Ciena legacy documentation before publishing precise specs (Nortel's optical business was acquired by Ciena in 2010).
