Ericsson conducts successful trial of 1Tbps optical link on Telstra network

Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson has announced the successful trial of its 1Tbps (terabit per second or 1,000 gigabits) optical transmission equipment over Telstra's fibre optic network.

The successful test over the 995 kilometer optical link between Sydney and Melbourne in Australia shows it is possible to deploy 1Tbps technology in a real network environment. Ericsson said in a statement. 

"Furthermore, when 1Tbps is commercialised, operators will be in a position to deploy it to meet their capacity requirements.

Telstra's director of transport and routing engineering, David Robertson said, "We are currently upgrading our optical transmission networks with Ericsson's next generation 100Gbps technology and this trial demonstrates that the higher 1Tbps speeds are possible.  

"The trial has proven that our existing optical cable plant can support Tbps channels along with 40Gbps and 100Gbps channels simultaneously on the same fibre, verifying that we have the ability to increase capacity on our existing fiber cables when required."

Ericsson had recently announced that it would provide Telstra with the SPO 1400, the latest packet optical transport platform (POTP) for the metro and the MHL 3000 for long-haul applications with 100Gbps service support. The trial tested a 1Tbps line card in the MHL 3000.

Ericsson said its terabit solution, which was used in the trial, has some important advantages - the optical characteristics are software configurable; innovative frequency packing for high spectral efficiency; and advanced forward error correction for superior performance of the communications channel.

Alessandro Pane, head of Ericsson R&D Optical Transmission, says, "Like so many developed countries, Australia is a very technologically advanced market and Australians are sophisticated users of broadband and mobile technology. In addition, there is widespread smart phone, tablet, IPTV and HDTV take-up. Supporting all these services requires an ever-growing capacity in backhaul and inter-city transmission.

"Telstra is a key account for Ericsson and we frequently partner to trial new technology and products. This trial provides insights that are valuable to the Australian market and operators worldwide."