UK broadband alt net CityFibre says it has deployed an 800-Gbps wavelength fiber backbone ring network using technology from Ciena (NYSE:CIEN). The ring network is the first of what CityFibre promises will be a multi-terabit infrastructure roll out to support its Full Fibre broadband network deployments across the UK.
The ring connects six “super core” sites: Leicester, Peterborough, Cambridge, London, Milton Keynes and Northampton. The network supports CityFibre’s activities in 23 cities and towns. The infrastructure provider plans another two ring deployments next year to provide 800G connectivity between Manchester, Leeds, Leicester, Bristol, Coventry, and London. CityFibre expects to connect another 90 locations before the end of 2023 to create a national, diverse, multi-terabit DWDM ring-based backbone network. The company says it will be able to offer wholesale wavelength services of up to 400 Gbps thanks to the optical transport technology deployment.
The ring network supports 800G wavelengths via the use of Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme programmable 800G coherent optics within the 6500 Reconfigurable Line System (RLS). The 6500 RLS will enable colorless, directionless, and contentionless (CDC) DWDM capabilities. CityFibre also will leverage Ciena’s Manage, Control, Plan (MCP) intelligent domain controller.
“A significant challenge for service providers today is securing scalable, reliable, and independent national service aggregation. Constrained by legacy footprints, poor SLAs, and lack of innovation, this investment will create a superior, physically diverse network alternative, whilst raising the service experience bar for our industry,” commented David Tomalin, group CTO at CityFibre.
“We are already using full CDC in all our major nodes and will scale this across our entire backbone network over time. Its automation capability will enable additional rapid network restoration in the event of fibre or hardware failure, plus greater flexibility to grow capacity, balance, and re-program our network based on the evolving needs of our customers,” Tomalin added.
“Deploying Ciena’s coherent optic technology at scale will help CityFibre to provide market-leading digital services across the UK,” said Jamie Jefferies, vice president and general manager, international at Ciena. “CityFibre have been tremendous to work with and our shared determination has allowed for us to move from design to delivery of this 800-Gbps network in record time. CityFibre and its customers will benefit from the scalability and adaptability its network will possess, in particular because Ciena’s intelligent RLS CDC configuration leverages a modern modular software design that allows for open networking and maximum programmability. We look forward to a continued collaboration in the future.”
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