Kansas Fiber Network chooses Cisco for 100-Gbps upgrade

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) revealed last week that it is supplying 100-Gbps packet-optical transport technology to the Kansas Fiber Network (KFN), a consortium of 29 carriers across the state of Kansas. The fiber-optic network upgrade will leverage coherent transmission technology to improve KFN’s ability to support growing demand for Ethernet, mobile backhaul, and high-speed private line services, as well as delivery of mobile content.

The 2700-route-mile KFN provides data, optical transport, and IP-based services to telecommunication carriers across the state. Cisco points out that the upgrade to 100G did not require re-engineering the existing infrastructure, which was originally designed to support a top data rate of 10 Gbps. The new DWDM capabilities leverages Cisco's nLight Silicon, advanced modulation formats, and enhanced forward error correction (FEC).

"Cisco's 100 G technology has allowed us to easily makeover our existing network, and provides a foundation to help fuel economic growth across the entire state with particular focus on rural areas,” said Steven Dorf, president of Kansas Fiber Network. “This DWDM technology provides high-speed Internet access and will help reduce the cost for Kansas businesses and organizations to offer increasingly popular mobile applications such as distance learning and telemedicine."

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