Reliance Globalcom on Tuesday named Ciena (Nasdaq: CIEN) as its optical vendor of choice to upgrade its FNAL backhaul network for its self-built intra-Asia submarine cable system.
By deploying the Ciena gear, the service provider said it will be able to address these new bandwidth demands using 40G Optical Transport Network (OTN)-based wavelengths across FNAL subsea segments, and between its Taipei and Seoul points-of-presence (PoPs).
What drove Reliance to make this network upgrade was the introduction of new business models that require network speeds beyond 10G wavelengths such as content monetization, video broadcasting and distributed storage area networking. Having this higher level of terrestrial backhaul capacity from the cable landing station to the terrestrial PoP will provide the necessary bandwidth consistency to support new services.
With OTN built into the same platform, Reliance can simultaneously offer SDH and Ethernet-based solutions with bandwidth speeds ranging from 1 Gbps up to 40 Gbps, and the option to deliver 2.5 Gbps and 10 Gbps between its PoP locations.
One of the potential advantages of delivering any service protocol over OTN is that it can give customers greater control over their services for performance monitoring and recovery during outages. In addition, Ciena said that OTN's forward error correction (FEC) mechanism can improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on the transmission network, resulting in better service quality for real-time applications such as VOIP and video conferencing.
Reliance and Ciena have been working on a number of network upgrade initiatives over the past year, including its most recent update of its FLAG Europe-Asia (FEA) submarine cable network to 100G. Earlier, in 2011, the service provider upgraded its FNAL submarine network, one that includes two key routes that span approximately 5,000 kilometers to connect Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong.
For Ciena, these recent wins to update key Reliance Globalcom routes and a 40G route win with Tata Communications in late 2011 show that even though it's primarily a terrestrial network provider, it can compete effectively against traditional submarine players such as Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) and TE SubCom.
For more:
- see the release
Special report: In detail: Following the Packet Optical Transport Systems (P-OTS) evolution
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