IFN taps Ciena for packet-optical upgrade

Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) says Indiana Fiber Network (IFN) will deploy Ciena’s 5430 Packet-Optical Reconfigurable Switching System (RSS) and OneConnect Intelligent Control Plane software to expand the capacity and service flexibility of its backbone network, and provide assured service delivery.

IFN is a statewide fiber-optic network owned by a consortium of 20 independent telephone companies, and comprises more than 2,400 miles of fiber-optic cable that interconnects eight metro ring networks and 23 points of presence serving more than 3,300 on/near-net locations. Customers include enterprise businesses, government entities, educational and healthcare institutions, as well as independent telephone company members, who use the network for the aggregation and transport of residential local and long-distance calls, Internet access, and video services.

The enhanced OTN-switched network will support the aggregation, transport, and management of voice, video, and data services to business and service provider customers. It will also provide differentiated service offerings and simplified service creation capabilities through point-and-click provisioning, therefore creating bandwidth-on-demand services that can be delivered in minutes, Ciena says.

Ciena’s 5430 is a modular packet-optical platform that will serve as aggregation switches, delivering regionalized OTN and Ethernet traffic to key points in IFN’s network with speed and simplicity (see “Ciena intros modular approach to IP/optical networks”). Equipped with OneConnect control plane software, the 5430 switches will also provide IFN with the ability to automate provisioning and management of its network, while mesh restoration will improve network resiliency and service availability.

Combined with Ciena’s 4200 Advanced Services Platform, which has already been deployed in the network, IFN can support customers’ growing broadband demands and data center connectivity requirements via a scalable, dynamic, and reconfigurable infrastructure, Ciena asserts.

Later this year, IFN also plans to deploy Ciena’s 5410 Reconfigurable Switching System to enable efficient aggregation, grooming, and forwarding of multiple traffic types in metro and regional sites.

Ciena Specialist Services is providing solution installation, turn-up and testing, along with migration services.

“Our recent upgrade is designed to create an intelligent, automated network that can adapt to the diverse service requirements of our customer base – including both member companies and businesses – and be monitored, managed and reprogrammed remotely from our network operations center,” said Jerry Haver, planning and engineering manager, IFN.

For more information on packet-optical systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.