Russia's MegaFon opens data center, plans IP/MPLS backbone network

OCTOBER 12, 2010 -- Russian mobile operator MegaFon has selected Huawei NE5000E routers to construct backbone nodes for a 40-Gbps IP/MPLS network in Russia' s largest cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, Huawei says. Meanwhile, MegaFon also announced the opening of what it touts as Russia’s largest data center.

The opening of the Tier 3 data center October 8 in the city of Samara marked the end of a $30 million project MegaFon launched two years ago. The carrier says the 74,400 square feet data center will serve as the backbone of the future national data center network.

"In the coming years we will be actively developing our data center network powered by our own nationwide fiber-optic backbone. This ambitious project will foster economic growth in Russia's regions and thus significantly contribute to the country's modernization," said Valeriy Ermakov, MegaFon's chief operations officer.

Meanwhile, the deployment of the 40-Gbps IP/MPLS backbone network will allow MegaFon to optimize the existing core network and extend the service range of its subscribers with 3G data services, according to Huawei.

"In the all-IP era, basic network infrastructure requirements of operators include the opportunity for dynamic bandwidth extension, high quality of service, reliability, and effective management of all system components. Huawei' s NE5000E solution corresponds to all these requirements, and that is why we selected it for realization of this project in Russia," said Oleg Nikolaenko, CTO of MegaFon.