27.9.2013
Hrvatski Telekom and Deutsche AG affirm their leadership in the next generation Internet infrastructure by proving multi-vendor interoperability on a 100Gbit/s long haul DWDM* link in the TeraStream pilot network in Croatia. The link is implemented by using a common standard for the optical line side which was jointly developed by Deutsche Telekom AG, Cisco Systems Inc., Alcatel-Lucent (Alu) and Cortina Systems.
In December 2012, Hrvatski Telekom launched, together with Deutsche Telekom AG, TeraStream pilot network in Croatia. TeraStream is the industry's leading network concept, based on a cloud enabled Internet Protocol (IP) architecture. The pilot features 100 Gbit/s links over a filter-less DWDM system. Now, for the first time ever, multi-vendor interoperability on 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) long-haul DWDM links has been proven between IP routers from Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent.
DT and HT have successfully completed a specialized test on the TeraStream infrastructure between the cities of Split and Varaždin - fiber distance of about 600 km - using 100GbE IP router interface and transponders from Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent.
This demonstrates that is possible to use IP routers from different vendors, exchanging data without any intermediate equipment such as traditional DWDM systems.
Bruno Jacobfeuerborn, Group Chief Technology Officer, Deutsche Telekom AG, said: "The need for bandwidth is constantly growing. This milestone is another important step towards the future of generally available 100GbE networking. Leveraging the TeraStream passive network and the jointly developed standard, we can achieve drastic cost savings in the area of optical transport. We envision that this will also be the most cost-efficient optical interconnect for datacenter applications. We are pleased with the latest advancements from the vendors.”
"In order for us as a company to achieve success in the future, we need to have networks that can support the most advanced communications and services,” said Ivica Mudrinić, President of the Management Board of Hrvatski Telekom. “I am especially proud of two things: Firstly, that Croatia with Hrvatski Telekom is the first country in the world to install this innovative technology which will become key to our future success. I am also proud of our Croatian experts who, together with colleagues from Deutsche Telekom, are implementing this highly demanding, innovative network concept."
The tests were a joint effort of Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems, Hrvatski Telekom and Deutsche Telekom AG, as part of the ongoing work to evolve infrastructure for future electronic communications.
“Global private networks and the Internet are built on a foundation of open standards and interoperability. To that end, Alcatel-Lucent is pleased to support the DT TeraStream project with our field-proven IP and optical solutions,” said Basil Alwan, President of IP Routing and Transport, Alcatel-Lucent.
"This demonstrates Cisco's commitment to having an open, standard based network providing for focus on the service. This milestone is one of many we hope to achieve by partnering with DT and the industry to move technology forward and drive continuous innovation," said Bill Gartner, VP/GM High End Routing and Optical, Cisco.
The actual link, the industry’s first of its kind, consists of 600km of Standard Single Mode Fiber (SMF) leveraging the TeraStream colorless, open spectrum, passive network. The 100 Gb/s signal, carrying live production traffic, leverages ITU standard 50GHz spacing via a special algorithm capable of achieving 10Gb/s comparable distances. The implementation in this test used pre-standards, aligned in ITU Study Group 15.
*DWDM stands for Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing, optical technology used to increase bandwidth over existing fiber optic backbones