In collaboration with Ericsson, Telstra utilised Ciena's WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) to transmit signals between Melbourne and Canberra — surpassing the previous record for the highest capacity on a single wavelength by approximately 200km.
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“To put this trial into perspective 1.6Tb/s of bandwidth through a single wavelength is the same bandwidth as over 300,000 Netflix high definition (HD) streams going at the same time. Or you can download 17 petabytes (PB) in a day which is more than 5 billion songs or over 12 billion photos. It is a 100% increase per channel capacity and a 14.3% increase in capacity per system,” said Sanjay Nayak, a fixed engineering executive at Telstra.
“This critical technology will allow us to further future-proof our networks by investing in technology to benefit our customers and enabling us to keep up with the data demands of Australians,” Nayak added.
At the centre of the trial was Ciena’s WL6e, which leverages three nanometre (nm) silicon technology to effectively double Telstra’s existing fibre wavelength capacity from 800Gb/s to 1.6Tb/s.
Telstra will use the Ciena tech to enhance its service offerings to support 800G connectivity across long-haul infrastructure — including integrating it as part of its InfraCo intercity fibre network.
“Once fully deployed, WaveLogic 6 Extreme will help put Telstra at the forefront of bringing a more connected future to Australians and its customers globally,” said Matt Vesperman, regional managing director at Ciena Asia Pacific.
“This milestone is not only a significant step forward for Telstra but also a glimpse into the future of telecommunications globally, as we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in network performance and scalability,” said Emilio Romeo, head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand.
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