Research and education networks have long been the proving ground for innovation. Collaboration among educational institutions, public and private research centers, including Nokia Bell Labs, has resulted in significant advances. R&E networks continue to need network flexibility, resilience and security in the face of dramatic shifts. Capacity needs continue to expand, most recently driven by needs of AI, distributed research and quantum computing evolution. The community again is navigating new shifts.
Flexible capacity
For several decades now, the scale of growth in R&E networks, as well as the public internet, has put an emphasis on ever higher capacity with 400 Gbps now widely adopted by national or regional research and education networks like GÉANT (Europe), ESnet (USA) and CANARIE (Canada). The leading edge of capacity requirements continues to move higher, with speeds of 800 Gbps to over 1 Tbps now a reality within the backbone.
These new capacity requirements are pushing the limits of the existing fibre optic resources One of the real-world limits to optical advances is the state of existing fiber plant. Optical reach, for instance, is highly dependent on parameters such as fiber type, fiber loss and span loss. It is not uncommon to see differences in range of 4–6x or more between different underlying facilities.
Therefore NRENs face the challenges of ever-increasing demands whilst still needing to maximise the use of the existing infrastructure. Nokia’s latest generation optical components, for instance, feature application-optimized coherent DSPs that use fine baud rate granularity to adjust to different fiber plant. Long-haul coherent processors can now operate at higher baud rates, over 130 Gbaud. Because overall wavelength capacity is based on the modulation format and baud (or symbol) rate, increasing the baud rate allows use of lower order modulations formats suitable for long and ultra-long distances, while supporting high-capacity wavelengths. This approach extends the usability of existing infrastructure, reducing costs and enabling NRENs to focus on cost-effective service delivery.
Quantum-safe security
As the world becomes less stable geo-politically, resilience and security go hand in hand. With the advent of quantum computers, most of today’s key cryptography will be rendered useless, based as they are on assumptions about the intractability of mathematical problems. Networks must consider carefully how they secure their networks so that they are quantum-safe in a cost-efficient way. Nokia’s Quantum-Safe Network (QSN) solution yields safety from attack through multi-layer, defense-in-depth protection. The Nokia 1830 SMS Security Management Server generates high-quality keys deployed in a symmetric distribution architecture. When used with AES-256 encryption engines, this solution provides safety today from practical quantum computer attacks.
Nokia – Supporting the future needs of R&E
Nokia’s IP and optical solutions have been deployed by R&E networks across the globe. As the needs shift in sync with changing needs for capacity, flexibility, resilience and security, Nokia continues to evolve its portfolio based on Bell Labs innovation and product development. RENs including Sikt, GRNET, RENATER, SURF and GÉANT are all enjoying the benefits of these solutions. For more information, visit our webpage.
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