Colt completes 600G wavelength testing

Colt Technology Services has achieved another milestone by successfully provisioning 600G wavelengths, making Colt the first and only provider with a capability to transport 600G wavelengths in a long-haul live network in Japan.

This announcement follows the successful completion of a customer-facing 400G Wave live network trial in December 2020, and now in partnership with Ciena, Colt was able to leverage the latest flex grid technology to provision 600G connectivity across its long distance network in Japan.

The live network trial was conducted between two Colt data centres and was made possible with Ciena’s market-leading WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optics, delivering scalability, intelligence and programmability into Colt’s IQ Network. In addition, VIAVI Solutions’ ONA-1000A and MTS-6000A OSA-610 were used in the trial for testing combinations of 400G and 100G Ethernet client end-to-end bit error free traffic, and line side optical spectrum health analysis, respectively.

Since the launch of the Colt IQ Network, Colt’s focus has been offering unrivalled, high bandwidth service coverage throughout Europe, North America and Asia. During this period, Colt has managed several upgrades to its optical network to address the exponential increase in demand from wholesale, media, Global Content Networks (GCN) and Over The Top (OTT) customers. Moreover, Covid-19 has also accelerated the need for ultra-high bandwidth solutions to cater for the greater reliance on the cloud as well as facilitating remote working globally.

Masato Hoshino, Colt Technology Services President, and Head of Asia, says: “The fact that Colt has succeeded with this 600G wavelength trial shows we are now ready to provide the highest bandwidth solutions available in market.”

“Colt and Ciena have a strategic relationship based on mutual trust and joint innovation, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue on our journey together to keep raising the standard of the industry. We know the requirement for ultra-high bandwidth services is not going to slow down, and with Ciena’s technology, we can keep transforming the way our customers do business.”

Kazuyasu Takahashi, Vice President and General Manager, Ciena Japan, commented: “In today’s digital era, end users across Japan increasingly demand high-quality and innovative digital experiences. Deploying Ciena enables Colt to adapt to new demands as they arise, constantly staying ahead of the game.”

Rajesh Rao, Vice President of Asia Pacific and Japan, VIAVI, said: “We are honored to collaborate with industry leaders to break a new speed barrier. The pace of network growth continues unabated, and speeds such as 400G – which were in the lab just a few years ago – are now supported in our field instruments for deployment at scale.”

Colt is now ready to offer commercial trials for 400G and is planning to roll out 400G optical connectivity in the second half of 2021- it looks forward to providing this innovative service to customers.