NBN Co doubles national transit network capacity with Coriant CloudWave Optics

Australia's NBN Co. has begun deployment of Coriant CloudWave Optics technology across its 60,000-kilometer transcontinental optical transport backbone network. The network upgrade enables NBN Co to double bandwidth capacity using coherent optical technology that supports per-wavelength transmission rates of 200 Gbps.

Coriant CloudWave Optics is an ultra-compact coherent interface solution that supports software programmable high-speed transmission to lower cost per bit as networks scale.

Coriant said the upgrade to CloudWave Optics will allow NBN Co to increase maximum capacity on its transit network from 9.6 Tbps to 19.2 Tbps per fiber link while reducing capital and operating expense as a result of smaller footprint requirements, reduced power consumption, and greater throughput density. Coriant's technology also supports a seamless upgrade to 400G, as needed. Initial upgrade sites span high-traffic fiber links between Eastern Creek and Asquith in Sydney and the 3,600 km route between Brisbane, Queensland, and Darwin in the Northern Territory.

“Our transit network is the backbone of the nbn™ Multi-Technology Mix that aims to provide Australians with access to fast services,” said Kathrine Dyer, Chief Network Deployment Officer, NBN Co. “This upgrade will ensure we can continue to deliver a reliable and high-quality broadband access network for our wholesale customers even as high-bandwidth applications and the growth of internet usage continue to drive demand for network capacity.”

NBN Co’s backbone network – known as the Transit Network – was originally built using the Coriant hiT 7300 Multi-Haul Transport Transport Platform and spans over 60,000 kilometers of fiber around Australia to connect access nodes to NBN Co’s 121 Points of Interconnect (POI) where traffic is transferred to service providers.