Colt Technology Services is overhauling its IQ Network by deploying more advanced optical technology from Ciena.
The upgrade will quadruple the capacity on Colt’s core optical network in preparation for the delivery of 400 Gbps wavelength services. The upgrade is taking place across all of Colt’s Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) fiber network in Europe and Asia.
Colt is deploying a combination of Ciena's WaveLogic Ai technology with a conversion to flexible grid photonics, which will deliver an uplift in the core network capacity while paving the way for the launch of new product capabilities. Ciena was the previous optical vendor for Colt's IQ Network.
With the refresh, Colt will increase its network backbone capacity by 400% in its metro network and 200% or more over its long-distance backbone.
The flexible grid technology will drive upgrades to Colt's high bandwidth optical connectivity and spectrum offerings, which are widely available on its IQ Network, The adaptive network enables Colt's customers to address high bandwidth and on-demand requirements on the fly.
The Colt IQ Network, which launched in 2016, connects high bandwidth services to more than 900 connected data centers across Europe, Asia and North America, with more than 27,500 on net buildings.
"In 2016, Colt announced a major investment in a next generation optical and packet network as a key enabler to our high bandwidth strategy”, said Colt's Rajiv Datta, chief operating officer, in a statement. “Since then, we have actively served the growing needs of enterprises and providers to connect to the cloud and to bring that scale to their end user locations with our highly distributed fiber network.
"The response from our customers has been strong and this further investment ensures that we will continue to be at the forefront of serving high bandwidth connectivity needs.”
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Using its IQ Network, Colt announced earlier this year that its On Demand services had expanded into the U.S., Hong Kong, Portugal, and Austria.