Deutsche Telekom connects German government with fiber
By EDWARD HARROFF
Deutsche Telekom is implementing an all-fiber administrative network for the German federal government, connecting the new (Berlin) and old (Bonn) German capitals. In a contract worth a total of DM 400 million (US$260 million) over 10 years, the Informations-verbund Berlin-Bonn (ivbb) core network will cover more than 600 km (372 mi) and will be expanded this year from eight local rings to forty (see figure on page 26).
As presented by Deutsche Telekom at cebit `98, the installation of state-of-the-art multimedia communications structures will ensure that the German federal government, federal authorities, and constitutional bodies can all function together smoothly, even though they are distributed between Berlin and Bonn.
Deutsche Telekom`s subsidiary, DeTe- System, is the prime contractor for the new information network. Overall, some 30,000 users at 100 locations will be integrated within the ivbb. Future requirements, such as expansion and connection with European and international networks, were taken into account in the planning phase. The entire network will begin test operations on August 1, 1998. It is expected to be fully cleared for regular operation by the beginning of 1999.
Deutsche Telekom is providing systems for communications between federal authorities, including the fiber-optic infrastructure, transmission and switching systems, and a network management system. The network`s various locations will be connected via links with bandwidth to 155 Mbits/sec and operating with Asynchronous Transfer Mode (atm) and Integrated Services Digital Network technology. DeTeSystem`s communications solution for the ivbb also meets special requirements relative to availability and data security.
Alcatel SEL has been selected as the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (sdh) network supplier for the local fiber-optic rings. Deutsche Telekom is using the sdh technology as the communications basis for ivbb because future improvements to this network can be smoothly implemented due to the absence of any custom equipment.
"sdh networks form the transport layer for all further transmission standards, including atm. Also, sdh facilitates flexible bandwidth use and flexible bandwidth management, redundancy, and backup switching possibilities as well as efficient network management," explains Guenther Wolf, Deutsche Telekom`s ivbb program manager.
The ivbb`s specifications were designed to service all German federal authorities, with special attention given to developing a failure-proof system with data protection. Location networks in both Bonn and Berlin are connected to the ivbb backbone via two "central exchange nodes," and traffic patterns in the local network tend to be star-hubbed around local switching centers. Cost-effective traffic routing using ring structures at 155 Mbits/sec (stm-1) supporting 2-Mbit/sec tributaries meets the requirements of most services, relying on the ring`s inherent reliability to guarantee a very high grade of service. Dual hubbing ensures the security of inter-subnetwork connections.
"The contract for the ivbb is a milestone for more than just the government`s move to Berlin," says the state secretary of the Federal Ministry of the Interior responsible for the project, Eckart Werthebach. "Administrative functions will be independent of physical locations and facilities and thus become even more effective and efficient. The project is also of great importance for Germany as a center of business. Industry, the scientific community, and public authorities are cooperating closely to create a future-oriented network and state-of-the-art services and applications."
In addition to classic telecommunications services, the new fiber-optic sdh network will provide multimedia teleservices such as multipoint videoconferences, access to digital archives, comprehensive e-mail applications, broadband access to the Internet, and high-speed communications on an intranet.
For the German federal government, the ivbb network is another important step toward technical and organizational modernization of its administrative structures. "Our full-scale telecommunications know-how will be reflected in the implementation of the Information Network Berlin-Bonn," says Gerd Tenzer, member of the board of management in charge of networks. "With the Information Network Berlin-Bonn, we will be propelling the federal authorities into a new age of telecommunications." q
Edward Harroff writes on telecommunications from Bellevue, Switzerland.