Eurofiber gives network dual upgrade
The first stage of the new DWDM network for Eurofiber will be completed shortly. The customers will benefit, but that’s not all: this upgrade also boosts the capacity of Eurofiber’s MPLS network. In the long run, the new DWDM network will make it possible to achieve speeds up to 200 Gb/S and even higher.
Fully optical
‘Eurofiber’s DWDM network is fully optical, thanks to the application of advanced Reconfigurable Optical Add–Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) modules to add channels of light through the infrastructure,’ explains Hessel Idzenga, Design & Architecture Manager at Eurofiber. ‘Multiplexer modules are more efficient than the current alternative using electrical cross-connects, since they switch far less between optical and electrical signals.’
Built in stages
Building a fully optical network is no easy task, Idzenga concedes. ‘It definitely requires more complex planning before we can even start actually building it. But the ultimate goal here is that we’ll only have to install new equipment at the end points when we roll out a new wavelength service, building the route in between entirely remotely – without customers noticing that upgrade work is even taking place. We’re rolling it out in stages: we will first be delivering connectivity in the Randstad conurbation, and then expanding towards the northern provinces and Brabant. The next stages will be determined by a combination of customer demand and capacity needs.’
Upgrade of MPLS network
Eurofiber’s core MPLS network will also be upgraded, Hessel Idzenga elaborates. ‘The connection to the MPLS core will be upgraded to 100 Gb/s for various regions. Besides providing more capacity to meet the growing demand, this will also offer opportunities to develop and offer new services. Like an Ethernet Virtual Circuit service with a bandwidth of 10 Gb/s. These types of services really need significant MPLS capacity to build on, since they might otherwise squeeze out existing connections that take up less room. The upgrades will be implemented in sync with the rollout of the DWDM network.’
Future-proof network
The new network will be even more future-proof, Hessel Idzenga states. ‘It gives us the scalability to offer wavelength services with bandwidths from 10 Gb/s to 100 Gb/s, or even 200 Gb/s. And thanks to the use of ‘flex-grid ROADMs’, it will already be prepared to some extent to handle bandwidths of 400 Gb/s.’
High bandwidth and low latency
The dual upgrade to its fiberoptic network will help Eurofiber respond to market trends, Idzenda says. ‘We are seeing that organizations increasingly need high bandwidth combined with low latency. The arrival of real-time applications, such as databases that need to be immediately available 24/7, necessitate extremely high bandwidths and even lower latency. And now we’re equipped to deliver that.’