40G/100G transmission technology

In cooperation with various partners, SURFnet is experimenting with 40G Ultra Long Haul and 100G transmission technology on its Cross Border Fibre routes.

In July 2009, a 100 Gbit/s trail was completed on SURFnet’s international Cross Border Fibre (CBF) production connection between Amsterdam and Hamburg, Germany, using Nortel optical technology and network integration services provided by Telindus. The live network trial successfully tested two 40G and one 100G optical wavelengths, alongside 10 Gbit/s production lambdas, over SURFnet's DWDM network connecting Amsterdam and Hamburg across a fibre donated by the Internet Educational Equal Access Foundation (IEEAF). The connection covered a distance of 1244 km of fibre without using electrical regeneration equipment. More information (pdf)

Since 2009, 40G wavelengths have become operational between Amsterdam and Hamburg and between Amsterdam and Geneva. In 2011, the first 100G wavelength on the Amsterdam-Geneva trajectory will be provided by Ciena’s first-generation 100G transponders.

A demo of 40G Ultra Long Haul technology was given In May 2011. The experiment involved creating a 40GbE service across 4300 km of fibre, including an unregenerated ultra long haul section over 2700 km between CERN in Geneva and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.