Telefónica trials 100Gbps, 200Gbps and 400Gbps data transmissions over Spanish network

Spanish operator group Telefónica has completed a field trial of “flexible optical networking” technology, that it hopes could more than double its existing fibre capacity.

The trial, conducted on the operator’s live network in Spain, used technology supplied by network infrastructure vendor Alcatel-Lucent. The successful trial means that Telefónica España will be able to meet the growing capacity demand of its customers, according to the vendor. Alcatel-Lucent said that the trial is the first live network link running at 100Gbps, 200Gbps and 400Gbps speeds.

The technology allows Telefónica’s network to “operate at different combinations of line rate, reach, and spectrum width to provide the best balance between network performance and resource usage”. The operator will also harness the new flexibility of its network to increase overall network resilience, allowing it to better manage the impact of outages or failures by diverting capacity to where it is needed in the network, according to Alcatel-Lucent.

“The future integration of 400Gbps in our core network will enable us [to respond] with optimum quality to our clients’ ever growing demand for more bandwidth,” said Manuel Fernández Daza, director for access, aggregation and transport networks technology and planning at Telefónica España.

“Solutions that make the best use of our existing infrastructure, like the photonic mesh technology demonstrated in this trial, are how we will maintain our lead in the marketplace.”

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