Windstream Wholesale, a leading provider of advanced optical solutions, and Colt Technology Services, a leading provider of high bandwidth and on-demand connectivity, recently solidified their technology partnership by successfully trialing an optical spectrum solution.
In the trial, Colt leveraged the Windstream Flex grid open line system between Chicago and Ashburn to build a 600G wavelength using their own coherent transmission system.
Colt leveraged the Windstream-provided managed spectrum to deliver multiple 100GE and 400GE services, traversing nearly 1800 Kms between the business hubs.
Leveraging technologies embedded within its Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON) architecture, Windstream was able to demonstrate the advantages of its disaggregated network architecture, multi-vendor open line system scalability, and alien wave support. As part of the ICON functionality, Windstream also presented key performance metrics of the transmission network, a concept known as Layer Zero Analytics, through Windstream Wholesale’s customer portal. By providing these kinds of self-diagnostic metrics, customers are able to independently plan coherent wavelength deployments, self-diagnose service performance and assess the health of the network 24 x 7, as if they were the owner/operator of the open optical line system.
Vivek Gaur, Vice President – Network Engineering, for Colt
This trial between Colt and Windstream saw Colt being able to deliver 400G and multiple 100G services over a 600G wavelength using our next-gen transmission system and Windstream’s spectrum offering in a fully integrated way.
Buddy Bayer, chief network officer for Windstream
This first foray into managed spectrum by Windstream Wholesale demonstrates the flexibility of our ICON network and the technology’s exciting potential for domestic terrestrial networks.
