CenturyLink and Infinera Deliver 2.5 Tb/s of Super-channel DWDM Capacity at Super Computing 2016

Sunnyvale, Calif. and Monroe, La., – Nov. 14, 2016, 8:00 AM EST USA – Infinera, provider of Intelligent Transport Networks, and CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) delivered 2.5 terabits per second (Tb/s) of super-channel transmission capacity to support SCinet at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC16), held this week, November 13-18, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The 2.5 Tb/s of line-side capacity will connect the Salt Lake City Convention Center to CenturyLink’s global fiber optic network, utilizing the Infinera DTN-X Family. The multi-terabit deployment demonstrates CenturyLink’s rapid provisioning of 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) services from the conference to CenturyLink’s point of presence in Salt Lake City and across its national backbone.

“Since 2014, CenturyLink has provided increasing amounts of super-channel transmission capacity to support real-time high-performance computing at this conference,” said Pieter Poll, Senior Vice President of Network Planning at CenturyLink. “Providing SCinet with 2.5 terabits of transmission capacity demonstrates the scalability and efficiency of CenturyLink’s network and complements the work we are doing with Infinera as we increase capacity on our core network to accommodate all customers. This includes providing the connectivity businesses need to operate efficiently as well as satisfying the communication and entertainment needs of families.”

CenturyLink operates a robust U.S. fiber network with more than 250,000 route miles and an international transport network with more than 350,000 route miles. Through a dedicated network connection, the company delivers 100 GbE Optical Wavelength Service to enterprise customers; research, financial and educational institutions; and internet content providers across the U.S. and in select international cities.

The DTN-X Family is a key part of the Infinera Intelligent Transport Network, and includes the chassis-based XTC Series and the XT Series. The XTC Series includes the XTC-10, XTC-4, XTC-2 and XTC-2E platforms addressing subsea, long-haul and metro networks. To support SCinet, CenturyLink deployed the DTN-X XT-500, a compact Ethernet transport platform designed for high bandwidth interconnect applications to address regional and long-haul networks. The XT-500 integrates Infinera’s photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology to deliver high bandwidth in a compact footprint. The XT-500 fits in two rack units of space and delivers 500 gigabits per second (Gb/s) of line-side super-channel bandwidth while supporting a flexible combination of 10 and 100 GbE clients. The XT-500 also provides seamless integration with Infinera’s FlexILS™ line system to support fixed as well as flexible grids to maximize spectral efficiency within wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks. In addition, the Infinera Instant Bandwidth technology on the XT-500 allows providers to adopt a cash-flow-efficient business model in which additional bandwidth may be rapidly activated as necessary, without the need to order, install and deploy add-on equipment. The XT-500 is designed to provide high levels of reliability, low space and power consumption and enables network operators to scale bandwidth and accelerate service innovation while simplifying optical network operations.

“We are delighted to work with CenturyLink to provide SCinet the ability to rapidly scale bandwidth and provision services across an Intelligent Transport Network,” said Bob Jandro, Infinera’s Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales. “Working with CenturyLink to dynamically deliver multi-terabit capacity using the Infinera DTN-X across their backbone highlights Infinera’s role in contributing to one of the largest networks in the U.S.”

SCinet is one of the most powerful and advanced networks in the world, created each year for the Super Computing Conference. This infrastructure enables and brings to life a high-capacity network that supports the revolutionary research applications and experiments taking place at the conference, connecting the Salt Lake City Convention Center to research and commercial networks around the world.