In order to accommodate increasing international bandwidth demand, the Middle East-Europe Terrestrial System (MEETS) is implementing a solution from Ciena.
The firm’s converged packet optical networking solutions provides regional and international carriers - as well as local and global ICT companies - access to high-capacity, scalable, wholesale network services to extend network reach, enable high-bandwidth enterprise and data centre traffic, and facilitate LTE 4G mobile expansions.
MEETS, a network consortium made up of du, Vodafone, Zain, and Zajil, is a 100G terrestrial optical transport network (OTN) connecting key Gulf states – the UAE, Qatar, KSA Bahrain and Kuwait – and is expected to connect the region to Europe. As the high-capacity fibre optic cable system is built alongside an existing power transmission network, it is cost-effective and reliable, providing reduced service latency and geographic diversity across the Middle East.
Ciena’s 6500 packet-optical platform is equipped with 100G WaveLogic coherent optics and packet/OTN switching, allowing MEETS to efficiently scale and interconnect large numbers of users. OneConnect Intelligent Control Plane creates a programmable network and provides the ability to customise service level guarantees with multiple levels of protection and restoration options.
In addition, the OneControl unified management software allows MEETS to rapidly turn up services with full visibility across all layers and advanced service assurance applications ensure efficient troubleshooting.
The deployment is an example of Ciena’s OPⁿ network architecture for programmable and scalable network designs that enable dynamic network provisioning and opportunities to differentiate on-demand services.
A join statement from representatives of each MEETS operator said: “The MEETS system will be essential in supporting the exceptional growth across the Middle East by enabling flexible and programmable international connections for on-demand end-user experiences. Highly reliable, critical connectivity and increased network diversity into Europe will also ensure the region continues to serve its millions of internet end-users.”
