GL Communications Unveils Comprehensive SONET and SDH Testing Platform

New SonetExpert™ Analyzer Enables Visibility Across Channelized Tributaries and High-Capacity Optical Backbones

Apr. 14, 2026 at 4:04pm

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of a complex SONET/SDH network infrastructure, featuring illuminated fiber optic cables, multiplexers, and other digital hardware components in a neon cyan and magenta color palette, conceptually representing the advanced technology required to monitor and validate these critical communications systems.Cutting-edge test equipment helps engineers maintain the reliability of critical SONET and SDH transport networks that underpin global communications.Gaithersburg Today

GL Communications Inc., a global provider of telecom test and measurement solutions, has announced the launch of its SonetExpert™ Channelized and Unchannelized Analyzer, a comprehensive platform that enables engineers to monitor, analyze, emulate and validate SONET and SDH transport networks from individual DS0, T1, or E1 channels through high-capacity OC-192/STM-64 backbone pipes using a single portable solution.

Why it matters

Despite the industry's transition toward packet-based transport, SONET and SDH infrastructure continues to support critical communication services across telecom operators, utilities, railway signaling systems, defense networks and enterprise backbone deployments. Ensuring visibility across both channelized tributaries and full-rate optical pipes remains essential for maintaining operational reliability and validating transport infrastructure performance.

The details

GL's SonetExpert™ analyzer addresses these requirements by providing deep channel-level access and full-pipe SONET and SDH validation capabilities within a unified portable solution, supporting both legacy circuit troubleshooting and modern packet-over-SONET validation workflows. The platform includes channelized SONET/SDH analysis at OC-3/STM-1 and OC-12/STM-4 rates, enabling engineers to directly access embedded tributaries and analyze DS0-level traffic within optical transport streams. It also supports unchannelized SONET/SDH analysis across OC-3/STM-1 through OC-192/STM-64 rates, with full-rate transmit and receive processing, wirespeed Bit Error Rate Testing over RAW SONET/SDH, ATM, and Packet-over-SONET (PoS) traffic, along with comprehensive alarm monitoring and controlled error insertion capabilities.

  • GL Communications announced the new SonetExpert™ Analyzer on April 14, 2026.

The players

GL Communications Inc.

A global provider of telecom test and measurement solutions that offers tools to verify the quality and reliability of Wireless, Fiber Optic, TDM and Analog networks.

Vijay Kulkarni

The CEO of GL Communications.

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What they’re saying

“SONET and SDH networks remain operationally critical across many infrastructure environments worldwide. Engineers require tools that provide both tributary-level visibility and high-rate backbone validation in a single platform. SonetExpert™ enables network engineers to quickly identify issues, validate optical transport performance, and reduce troubleshooting time across complex multi-vendor SONET and SDH deployments.”

— Vijay Kulkarni, CEO of GL Communications

What’s next

GL Communications plans to showcase the new SonetExpert™ Analyzer at the upcoming Telecom World 2026 conference in June.

The takeaway

GL Communications' new SonetExpert™ Analyzer provides a comprehensive solution for engineers to monitor, analyze, and validate SONET and SDH transport networks, addressing the ongoing importance of these legacy technologies in critical infrastructure while also supporting modern packet-based validation workflows.