CESNET and GÉANT Deploy 300 Gbps Wavelength in R&E community

Partnership supports surging bandwidth needs essential to scientific research and collaboration.

Prague, CZ, 23 January, 2018. CESNET, marking a R&E community first deployment of Ciena´s Waveserver Ai platform, has interconnected GÉANT´s high-capacity routers using a 300 Gbps alien wavelength over 530km of CESNET network with Czech Light Open Line System. This accomplishment shows how the research and education (R&E) community can establish reliable all-optical transmission that transit multiple networks for the high-performance computer (HPC) networks, data storage and transfer capabilities and collaborative working environments that are crucial to Europe’s modern academic and scientific organizations.

This solution has made it possible for CESNET to improve GEANT network resiliency through additional network meshing by combining spectrum sharing of CESNET network with DCI technology from Ciena. By deploying 300 Gbps wavelength, CESNET and Ciena demonstrate how R&E institutions may set up international capacity to run exceptional bandwidth-intensive service and applications such as HPC, with the future Exascale Super Computers, large data sets transfer and data storage migration. GÉANT is now carrying live traffic over unprecedented wavelength capacity of 300 Gbps across CESNET’s existing fibre that was originally engineered as a 10 Gbps compensated network, between the Prague and Vienna nodes located in two neighboring countries.

With national research and education network (NREN) traffic growing more than 70 percent each year, the high-density Waveserver Ai stackable interconnect platform, equipped with industry-leading WaveLogic Ai coherent optics, allows CESNET to deliver to GÉANT a solution that supports high-capacity applications while reducing power, footprint and cost per bit. GÉANT is also reducing network cost by spectrum sharing with NRENs while improving network resiliency by using network meshing as a safeguard against unpredictable spikes in traffic. Additionally, alien wavelength implementation enables the sharing of dark fiber infrastructure within the NREN community, ensuring these organizations are prepared for future growth by allowing them to quickly scale capacity up or down based on network demand.

“Our network is designed to support the transfer of extremely large data sets and dedicated photonic services among geographically dispersed locations, especially, due to unique concepts used for network development, for example Nothing in Line (NIL). The 300 Gbps wavelength is seamlessly running in parallel with precise time and ultra-stable optical frequency transmissions” said Josef Vojtěch, head of optical networks department of CESNET. “Together with Ciena and GÉANT, we are ensuring Europe’s R&E community can reliably connect anywhere, at any time, with any capacity.”

“CESNET, an active representative of NRENs in Europe, is evaluating the newest technologies to take a critical step toward future-proofing data networks for educational and research communities throughout the region,” said Rod Wilson, Chief Technologist for Research of Ciena. “Waveserver Ai is designed to address evolving density and power requirements for ultra-high-capacity interconnect applications of this nature.”

The CESNET Association was founded by Czech universities and the Czech Academy of Sciences in 1996. It is engaged in research and development in the field of information and communication technologies and builds and develops the CESNET national e-infrastructure for research and education. Thanks to its research activities and accomplishments, it represents the Czech Republic in important international projects, particularly in building the pan-European GÉANT data network or grid projects (EGI.eu), and actively participates in their implementation. CESNET places great emphasis on the security of network operations, services and user protection.

Last change: 1.2.2018