Nortel and Juniper push Virgin to 40G

A North-South trial has taken place at speeds of 40G over a 350km (217 mile) stretch of Virgin Media’s 10G network between London and Manchester. The trial, conducted at the end of April by Nortel and Juniper Networks was designed to demonstrate the economic feasibility of existing optical networks to run at significantly higher transmission rates.

The capability of the UK’s transmission networks has come under question following the launch of the BBC iPlayer. However, Virgin maintains that its networks are sufficiently robust, itself running an extensive VOD offer though restricting linear HD to a single channel.

“Our aim for this trial was to ensure we continue to meet the growing capacity needs of the high-speed services we deliver and provide a quality experience for Virgin Media customers,” said Daniel Hennessy, director of Technical Architecture, Virgin Media. “Our strategic suppliers have demonstrated very clearly how existing network assets can be scaled to meet the growth in demand associated with evolving customer behaviour and step changes in the products provided as part of our high-speed broadband proposition. Our optical network will provide a solid foundation for growth as it takes advantage of technology designed to avoid electrical regeneration and where possible reduce the incremental cost of scaling transport capacity.”

The trial interconnected Nortel 40G Adaptive Optical Engine DWDM transponder cards with Juniper Networks T-series 40G interface routers located at sites in Manchester and London.