New Zealand Operator Tests 100G

TelstraClear has installed next-generation optical equipment to enable its intercity transmission network to carry multiple light signals at speeds up to 100 Gbps. Supported by technology from Ciena, TelstraClear has now tested the core network links at these data speeds.

TelstraClear Chief Technologist William Lee said the data speeds were the fastest ever achieved on an intercity telecommunications network in New Zealand. TelstraClear’s existing network leverages Ciena’s coherent solutions at speeds up to 40 Gbps.

“The trials prove that we can now go up to 100 Gbps and begin engineering solutions for customers based on the availability of those speeds on the core network,” Lee said in a statement. “We might not need them at this stage, but the capacity is there as more customers look for ultra fast downloading or when network congestion becomes an issue due to current sustained rates of data volume growth.”??

TelstraClear’s existing core network is based on Ciena’s Optical Multiservice Edge (OME) 6500 platform. By inserting 100G cards into the OME 6500, TelstraClear is able to deploy 100G wavelengths alongside existing 40G and 10G wavelengths and thereby carry live customer traffic without needing to re-engineer any fiber routes or wavelengths.