Verizon is working with Juniper Networks to upgrade older router equipment in the core of its fiber network. The new equipment is capable of using the latest 400 Gbps per port optical technology. And the new optical core, which is being built to meet customers’ growing demands through 2032, is upgradeable to future 800 Gbps and 1 Tbps per port optical technology.
Verizon said the new equipment offers other operational benefits. It is half the size of the existing equipment, reducing space requirements in core facilities and driving down both power usage and operational cost per GB.
The new equipment also offers an advanced level of automation. It allows for automated interfaces with other network systems to make faster decisions and changes such as real-time adjustments to address congestion or other performance improvements. And it incorporates protocols like segment routing to make more intelligent routing decisions.
Additionally, because this new equipment is so dense with such large capacity, Verizon will be able to redesign its network architecture to spread the equipment out to additional facilities across geographies, building in an additional level of redundancy with the ability to reroute traffic onto a greater number of fiber routes when needed.
Although the new core relates to Verizon’s fiber network, Kyle Malady, president of the company’s Global Networks and Technology, said in a statement that it will help Verizon’s 5G network as well. “Our fiber network is the largely invisible foundation that is a key driving force behind providing the scalability and reliability our customers need and expect,” said Malady.
Juniper Networks CEO Rami Rahim alluded to the deal with Verizon in Juniper’s recent Q2 earnings call.
He said the company was picking up steam in the 400G market, noting it now has approximately 80 design wins with data center customers and nearly 400 design wins overall, including a recently secured 400G core win with a Tier-1 U.S. carrier — which turns out to be Verizon.