Verizon deploys 100Gbit/s Ethernet network across Europe

Verizon Business has deployed what it claims is the first standards-based 100Gbit/s Ethernet link on a section of its European long-haul network to increase capacity and improve performance as data traffic grows.

The backbone upgrade runs for 893km between Paris and Frankfurt, and replaces existing 10Gbit/s Ethernet links in order to consolidate traffic into a single channel, reduce transmission errors and simplify network management.

Michael Bower, director of core planning and engineering at Verizon Business in Europe, told V3.co.uk that the use of 100Gbit/s allows the firm to keep pace with growing data demands.

"Large customers are doing a lot more with their infrastructure, like high-definition videoconferencing or large datacentre backups and mirroring," he said.

"Moving to a connection speed of 100Gbit/s helps us meet this growing demand from enterprises for ever larger chunks of data access on our network."

The deployment is based on industry-standard technology, including routers and cards from Juniper Networks and coherent optical transport technology from Ciena, making it unique in the industry, according to Bower.

"There are lots of trials and tests taking place at the moment, but this is the first 100Gbit/s infrastructure that's actually running production traffic beyond the transport layer," he said.

Bower explained that the Paris to Frankfurt link is the first stage of a wider rollout, and that other central areas of Europe and the UK will follow.