Europe-based research and education network SURFnet has completed a test of Cisco's 100G DWDM technology, the company says. The test saw the Cisco ONS 15454 M6 Multiservice Transport Platform transmit traffic between the National Supercomputing Center, SARA, in Amsterdam and CERN in Geneva, a distance of 1650 km.

The test involved introducing 100G single carrier optical interfaces into SURFnet's existing optical infrastructure made up of a combination of 10G, 40G, and 100G wavelengths (see “SURFnet adds 100 Gbps, ROADM, packet-optical transport via Ciena gear”). The demonstration proved that SURFnet can use its existing infrastructure to support 100-Gbps traffic, Cisco says.

The Cisco ONS 15454 M6 platform is designed to support 42x100G wavelengths in a single bay, nearly 3X the density of competing platform, Cisco asserts.

"This 100G alien wavelength demonstration is another important step in the future of international networking across geographical, technical, and administrative borders,” said Roeland Nuijts, optical network architect, SURFnet. “Being able to use high-bandwidth wavelengths over open transmission systems from different equipment vendors supports new approaches to networking. The use of all-optical alien wavelength 100G technology is what will enable cost-effective international research networking."