Vodafone and Ciena recently conducted trials on programmable infrastructure based on FlexEthernet(FlexE), showcasing up to 400 Gbps over a single wavelength.
Eva Rossi who is responsible for Vodafone’s end-to-end transport architecture and select transport technologies, wrote in a blog post that the trials included a flexible Ethernet client interface standard defined by the Optical Internetworking Forum, using Vodafone UK’s Red Stream network.
RedStream is Vodafone UK's IP-based converged core network. Consisting of more than 200 core sites connected by more than 11,000 km of optical fibre and with more than 1,000 MPLS enabled aggregation nodes, the network provides converged connectivity for Vodafone’s mobile base stations, consumer broadband services and enterprise data and voice customers throughout the UK. Built on the latest photonic technology, it is future-proofed to meet the growing demand for bandwidth.
Eva added that, "We also tested flexible spectrum based on Ciena’s tunable WaveLogic Ai coherent optics and Manage Control and Plan controller. Flexible spectrum could give enterprise customers the ability to sublease part of the bandwidth purchased by Vodafone if desired for current and future 5G applications where latency and reliability are crucial."
