AARNet conducts 600-Gbps trial using Cisco NCS 1004

Australia’s Academic and Research Network (AARNet) has partnered with Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) to demonstrate the ability of AARNet’s fiber-optic network to support 600-Gbps coherent transmission. The collaborators used Cisco’s Network Convergence System (NCS) 1004 and NCS 2000 FlexSpectrum Single Module ROADM platforms for the trial over AARNet’s production network.

The trial exercised the Cisco NCS 1004’s ability to adjust modulation format and baud rate to optimize throughput over various transmission distances. The transmission rate/reach combinations included:

• Single-wavelength 600 Gbps in a metro data center interconnect scenario of approximately 15 km
• Single-wavelength 500G over regional distances of greater than 300 km, or roughly the distance from Sydney to Newcastle, Wollongong, or Goulburn
• Single-wavelength 400G over distances greater than 750 km or roughly the distance from Sydney to Melbourne.

“Our network supports cross-institutional global research collaborations, scientific instruments, and the transport and storage of some of the world’s largest datasets,” said Chris Hancock, CEO at AARNet. “This trial with Cisco opens up opportunities for AARNet to provide customers with unprecedented levels of scale to support massive data flows for data-intensive projects such as the Square Kilometre Array.”

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