Huawei's Mesh Backbone Uses First OXC+OTN to Deliver Ultrahigh Bandwidth

Optical solutions offer increased capacity when it comes to bandwidth, but the complexity of fiber connections still proves to be challenging. Even with these complexities the deployment of fiber networks is growing because it is capable of handling the growth in bandwidth intensive services. Huawei just announced a process to simplify fiber connections at Next Generation Optical Networking (NGON) 2017 with the official release of its mesh backbone network solution. This will allow operators to deliver ultrahigh bandwidth to address the needs of internet content providers (ICPs), cloud services and enterprises with the industry's first commercial Optical Cross-Connect and Optical Transport Network (OXC+OTN) cluster devices.

The OXC+OTN will ensure low latency and ultrahigh bandwidth between any two data centers (DC) by reconstructing DC centric backbone networks and provide wavelength/sub-wavelength connections between DCs for one-hop transmission. Huawei demonstrated this capability at the NGON event with dynamic grooming of optical wavelengths and cross-connections through OXC, as well as OTN cluster, high-integration and multi-functional service boards.

Huawei has simplified fiber connections within the system, thus reducing fiber errors with the optical backplane of OXC. Fiber management will also be more effective with digital optical monitoring that enables advanced control and wavelength management.

Don Frey, OVUM's principle analyst said, "The OTN cluster allows carriers to offer more flexible services to Cloud CSPs and enterprises. With the Huawei Agile Controller-Transport, operators can provision OTN bandwidths in a shorter timeframe, meeting demand for bandwidths from ICPs, enterprises, and 5G transport."

According to Huawei, the OXC+OTN cluster mesh backbone network architecture can minimize the latency for data center interconnections by enabling one-hop transmission between any two cities. This type of capability is essential as traffic between data centers is expected to grow by 50 percent in the coming years, making inter-DC traffic the biggest type of traffic on transport backbone networks. The change is necessary, because legacy backbone networks were designed for traditional telecom services, and they are not capable of handling next generation services.

Huawei said, "It remains committed to providing operators with highly efficient and economical backbone network solutions. The mesh backbone network solution will help operators build future-oriented CloudOptiX transport networks and embrace the all-cloud era."

With this innovation, Huawei will simplify fiber connections, reduce connection losses, and improve system reliability.

Edited by Maurice Nagle