Lancaster University deploys ADVA Optical Networking platforms for regional high-speed grid network
August 3, 2004 Martinsried/Munich, Germany-- ADVA Optical Networking today announced that its Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 3000 and FSP 500 have been deployed in the 'Trans Regional Broadband Superhighway' project in the Northwest of England. Your Communications and Siemens designed a specific solution for Lancaster University, utilizing Your Communications' optical fiber network in conjunction with ADVA's FSP systems. The infrastructure is provided by Your Communications as a fully managed service. The project, which was funded by the Northwest Development Agency, links academic institutions across the Northwest of England including Lancaster University and Daresbury Laboratory.
Historically, academic research in this region has been severely restricted by the bandwidth limitations of its legacy SDH STM-1 network. In order to compete on an equal footing with other UK and European regions in bidding for research funds, Lancaster University needed a state-of-the-art network infrastructure. This would facilitate the growth of e-science and enable academics in the region to collaborate on large-scale science projects such as molecular drug research, global health modelling, and astrophysics -- all of which require vast computer network capacity.
Lancaster University and Northwest-based UK carrier Your Communications approached Siemens to design a network which would expand bandwidth between different academic centers in the region, providing the high-speed connectivity and grid processing capabilities required for more sophisticated communication between computer systems. Using FSP 3000 and FSP 500, Siemens designed a 320-km network which can manage 320 Gbits/sec of data when fully deployed.
"ADVA's FSP 3000 and FSP 500 platforms were our technology of choice for this kind of deployment because of their seamless interoperability, low total cost of ownership, and network reach," said Steve Bradley, Siemens' account manager to Your Communications. "The robust nature and secure network architecture of ADVA's systems were a perfect fit with Your Communications' requirements for long-term scalability and flexibility. Your Communications in turn proved a valuable partner for Lancaster University, providing a managed service to the university's specifications and eliminating the headaches and capital investment of installing and maintaining their own network."
The first stage of the project was to interconnect the high-performance grid clusters at Lancaster University with Daresbury Laboratory, a science and engineering research center based in Cheshire. Initially, the network delivered 10 Gbits/sec of end-to-end bandwidth between sites utilizing DWDM technology. The final solution delivered by Siemens realized the linking of other grid facilities in the region. This solution links universities, higher education sites and e-science centers in Carlisle, Daresbury, Penrith, Kendal, Lancaster, Preston, Chorley, Manchester and Warrington with a mix of 10 Gigabit and Gigabit Ethernet LAN extension services.
"The increased bandwidth and improved network processing capabilities created by Lancaster University's Trans Regional Broadband Superhighway will transform academic and scientific research in the Northwest of England," said Brian P. McCann, chief marketing and strategy officer of ADVA Optical Networking. "ADVA is pleased to work together with our longstanding and strategic partners Siemens, Your Communications, and Lancaster University to enable academics in the region to explore the possibilities of state-of-the-art applications. These include optical virtual private networks, virtual laboratories, distance learning, collaborative work groups, multimedia streaming, remote visualization, and networked knowledge bases."