Fast Ethernet at the flick of a switch

With emerging IT trends such as big data and cloud computing, network resources are being consumed at a colossal rate. Network infrastructures have had to adapt to such change and bandwidth capacity is continually increasing. 100GbE is seen by many as an important step in the evolution of the network and there is growing demand for this bandwidth from the carrier and service integrator markets in particular. Vtesse has integrated this new service offering in response to this budding demand and to ensure it is equipped to deal with any future network requirements as these developments pick up speed.

Before announcing the launch of this new service, Vtesse carried out extensive testing to ensure 100GbE interoperability with its existing Tellabs ROADM network. Utilising Tellabs 7100 Nano Optical Transport system, Vtesse set up a 90km trial link from a London Docklands site to a major data centre facility in Slough. The link was installed extremely quickly and easily, on equipment and fibre already in use and carrying live traffic, without the need for further modifications or experiencing any service downtime. End-to-end testing showed the network was operating error free and at full 100G throughput, a demonstration of the kind of performance and resiliency Vtesse customers can expect from this new network service.

As part of the final testing phase, Vtesse also assessed interoperability with its carrier class Cisco ASR9000 routers by successfully testing a 100Gb Ethernet Private Line delivered over MPLS. This positions Vtesse well to accommodate ever increasing bandwidth demands from Ethernet and IPVPN customers.

“At the start of the year, very few people were talking about 100Gb Ethernet,” said Alan Mitchell, Vtesse CTO. “However, this is changing rapidly and Vtesse has made a determined effort to get out in front of this important network development. We’re proud to be one of the first providers putting this service to market as this innovative technology allows Vtesse to offer much improved levels of service, even when dealing with seemingly impossible network demands. In addition, following such a successful testing process with Tellabs, we’ve demonstrated that we can provide this ultra-fast service quickly and without costly modifications to our network or procedures. The Tellabs 100G card really is a plug and play solution and it means providing 100G is no more difficult than a standard 10G circuit.”

This latest service offering has been designed using Tellabs ROADM network, which Vtesse has integrated into its network services and been extending since 2012. This network technology allows Vtesse to rapidly provision networks for its customers as well as set-up and re-route networks on the fly, ideal for on-demand data trends such as cloud computing. “We’re helping Vtesse grow its business with Tellabs Packet Optical Solution,” said Tarcisio Ribeiro, Tellabs vice president-EMEA sales. “Vtesse found that the Tellabs 7100 Nano enables easy addition and provisioning of 100G wavelengths, enabling rapid deployment of services to customers.”