Cisco deploys Terastream network for Hrvatski Telekom in Croatia

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) says Hrvatski Telekom, Croatia's largest telecommunications company, is using several of its products and services in Hrvatski’s new TeraStream cloud-enabled IP architecture.

Hrvatski Telekom, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, has launched the first live pilot network, which is delivering broadband services to residential users in the Zagreb area of Croatia.

Cisco says it has been working with Deutsche Telekom since 2011 to develop and validate the TeraStream architecture. This open architecture is designed to substantially reduce network and system complexity, improve operational efficiency, and enable new IP cloud-based telecommunications services in a fraction of the time typically required.

Key elements of the architecture include all-IPv6 streamlined routing architecture; fully converged IP and optical layers with 100G coherent technology; integrated cloud service centers, enabling virtualized network services and applications for rapid service innovation; programmatic interfaces aligned with the software-defined networking (SDN) architecture for real-time automation and OSS; and customer self-service management capabilities.

Cisco has delivered a number of key technologies in what it calls a landmark deployment.

The Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers provide the initial foundation of the TeraStream routing infrastructure, connecting end customers to services over 100-Gbps integrated optical links. With its experience in integrating routing and optical technologies, Cisco says it is enabling Deutsche Telekom and other service providers to build and operate fiber-optic networks that are simpler and more cost-effective to operate, and accelerate delivery of new services.

TeraStream integrates cloud computing resources and application virtualization into the network, enabling what Cisco asserts is unprecedented speed and agility for new service deployment. Cisco is providing the initial data center foundation as a first step towards achieving Deutsche Telekom's infrastructure cloud goals. The network and service offering are based on the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS), orchestrated with the recently launched Cisco OpenStack Edition based on emerging industry standards.

Cisco is also providing the dual-band Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router N900 (EA4500), which has been tailored to Deutsche Telekom's TeraStream requirements, providing a home gateway with wireless speeds up to 450 Mbps – a first according to the company. The home router allows both IPv4 and IPv6 wireless home networking.

Cisco's network management technology group has created a customer sign-on and self-service portal specifically for the TeraStream trial. Based on the TeraStream IPv6 based addressing schema, the network acts as the inventory source for service creation and leads to improved consistency and less synchronization between different inventories in the IT.

Cisco is also providing turn-key delivery and end-to-end service and network management. Cisco Advanced Services, with its local Gold Certified partner Combis, 100% owned by Hrvatski Telekom, are delivering the project. Cisco's Agile Business Architecture (ABA) is the initial operation support system for TeraStream.

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