O2 UK to Deploy New 100Gigabit Backbone Network to Boost Capacity

Mobile operator O2, which is currently in the process of being gobbled by the parent of Three UK for £10.25bn (here), has picked Ciena’s 6500 converged packet optical solutions to help it roll-out a new 100G (Gigabits) based backbone network around major cities, including London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Liverpool.

The new network, which will accommodate “several” Terabits of traffic in the mobile operators backbone infrastructure and respond dynamically to any demand changes, is vital if O2 are to keep pace with their customers ever rising Mobile Broadband (3G, 4G) data demands.

Brendan O’Reilly, CTO of O2, said:

“This network enhancement is a great example of O2’s commitment to our mission to provide our customers with a superior user experience. By selecting Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform and unified management solutions we will ensure that we have a high-speed and scalable network that can meet our customers’ demands and provide the foundation needed for high bandwidth consuming services.”

Francois Locoh-Donou, Senior VP of Ciena’s Global Products, added:

“In today’s evolving web-scale world, it is crucial for providers like O2 to be able to respond to unpredictable and growing needs in order to deliver an on-demand experience for their customers. By utilizing the latest advancements in our converged packet optical solutions O2 will have the bandwidth, efficiency and agility needed to deploy faster and more robust connectivity nationwide.”

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