DT and HT Successfully Tested TeraStream Between Split and Varaždin

In December 2012, Hrvatski Telekom launched a TeraStream pilot network in Croatia in collaboration with Deutsche Telekom. TeraStream is a leading network concept in the industry, based on Internet Protocol (IP) cloud architecture, and includes 100 Gbit/s optical links via a filterless DWDM system.

Now, for the first time in history, interoperability among multiple manufacturers has been achieved on 100-gigabit Ethernet (GbE) long-haul DWDM connections, between IP routers from Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent.

DT and HT successfully completed a specialized test on the TeraStream infrastructure between Split and Varaždin, using fibers approximately 600 km long, with the help of 100GbE IP router interfaces and transponders from Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent.

This demonstrates that it is possible to use IP routers from different manufacturers and data exchange without intermediary equipment, such as traditional DWDM systems.

Bruno Jacobfeuerborn, CTO of Deutsche Telekom Group, says: ‘The demand for data network bandwidth is constantly increasing. This milestone is another important step towards the future of universally available 100GbE networking. By leveraging the advantages of the TeraStream passive network and the jointly developed standard, we can achieve drastic cost savings in optical transport. We anticipate that this will also be the most cost-effective optical connectivity for data center applications. We are pleased with the latest advancements from equipment manufacturers.’

 - To succeed as a society in the future, we must have networks that can support the most advanced communication and services – said Ivica Mudrinić, CEO of Hrvatski Telekom.  - I am particularly proud of two things: that Croatia, with Hrvatski Telekom, is the first country in the world to install this innovative technology, whose advantages will become crucial for success in the future. I am also proud of our Croatian experts who, together with colleagues from Deutsche Telekom, are implementing this highly demanding, innovative network concept.-

The tests were conducted jointly by Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems, Hrvatski Telekom, and Deutsche Telekom as part of ongoing work on developing infrastructure for future electronic communications.

 - Global private networks and the Internet are based on open standards and interoperability. To this end, at Alcatel-Lucent, we are pleased to support the DT TeraStream project with our field-proven OP and optical solutions – says Basil Alwan, President of IP Routing and Transport, Alcatel-Lucent.

 - This demonstrates Cisco’s commitment to having an open network based on service-focused standards. This milestone is one of many we hope to achieve through partnership with DT and the industry to advance technology and stimulate continuous innovation – says Bill Gartner, VP/GM High End Routing and Optical, Cisco.

This connection, the first of its kind in the industry, consists of a six-kilometer Standard Single Mode Fiber (SMF) that takes advantage of the colorless, passive open spectrum TeraStream network. The hundred-gigabit signal, which carries live production traffic, utilizes the benefits of the ITU standard 50GHz spacing through a special algorithm that can reach distances of standard 10 Gb/s systems. The implementation in this test uses pre-standard implementations aligned with ITU SG15.