Verizon taps Ciena and Cisco for 100G metro network

American wireless major Verizon has selected packet-optimized transport solutions from Ciena and Cisco as part of moving to a next-generation 100G metro network in the U.S.

Verizon did not share the size of the contract. The company said supplier volumes will be guided by ongoing testing, support and performance.

Verizon will test and deploy Ciena’s metro-optimized 6500 packet optical technology and the Cisco Network Convergence System on portions of its 100G metro network this year, with plans to turn up live traffic in 2016.

“Deploying a coherent and optimized metro network means Verizon stays ahead of the growth trajectory while providing an even more robust network infrastructure for future demand,” said Lee Hicks, vice president of Verizon network planning.

Verizon

The main aim of the 100G metro network will be to offer improved scalability, functionality and efficiency to Verizon in order to meet customer demands for high-capacity video and wireless solutions.

The company said that 100G CDC ROADMs will enable Verizon to advance and scale its network while maintaining existing services and reducing service-activation times as well as network operation and maintenance costs.

Francois Locoh-Donou, senior vice president, Global Products Group at Ciena, said next-generation metro networks with high degrees of packet convergence and software intelligence are critical to the future of connecting increasing amounts of content to users.

“Cisco has made key investments in optical technologies to enable Verizon to realize its vision to transform its network architecture to achieve the speed and operational efficiency required to meet the demands of today, while capturing growth opportunities over the next decade,” said Kelly Ahuja, senior vice president of Cisco’s Service Provider Business group.

[email protected]