8 January 2003 -- Alcatel's 7770 OBX (Optical Broadband Exchange) has been selected by the Poznañ Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC) for the Polish optical Internet.
Founded in 1993 by the State Committee for Scientific Research (KBN) and affiliated with the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), the PSNC is responsible for the deployment and management of the Polish National Research and Education Network (NREN), POL-34/622, and the Poznañ Metropolitan Area Network (POZMAN), as well as the delivery of commercial value-added services to major corporate users. PSNC also plays an active role in many national and European R&D projects in the fields of next-generation networks, GRIDS and portals.
On behalf of the Polish scientific community, PSNC is building a Polish optical Internet called PIONIER - a 5000km network that connects all academic optical metro area networks. The 7770 OBX will be deployed as the IP backbone of PIONIER, as well as the peering point into the pan-European research network G�ANT, which connects 32 NRENs in Europe.
"Dependability and performance are key to success for our advanced, data-intensive communications, implying the need for an IP core that guarantees reliability on par with traditional voice networks, along with the capability for optical internetworking," said Dr Maciej Stroiski, technical director of PSNC. "By selecting the Alcatel 7770 OBX, we are leading Europe in deployment of next-generation IP networks."
"Selection by the Poznañ Supercomputing and Networking Center is a clear endorsement of our strategy with the Alcatel 7770 OBX to considerably improve the economics of IP networking by increasing the reliability and scalability of IP routers," said Michel Rahier, president of Alcatel's broadband networking activities.
Alcatel says that the 7770 Optical Broadband Exchange delivers true telco-grade reliability, based on the Alcatel Carrier Environment Internet System (ACEIS) - an essential component of building five nines (99.999%) reliability into IP core networks. Also, scalability from 100Gbit/s to 1.9Tbit/s of line capacity means the 7770 OBX will grow in line with IP service provider networks for significantly longer than existing routers.
The 7770 OBX was designed for true carrier-class networking. Alcatel claims that, with its combined scalability and ACEIS technology, operators can avoid spending up to 50% more for the same network performance. Higher service availability and performance ensure premium revenue opportunities, which are further enhanced by superior traffic management capabilities. Building on the strengths of the 7770 product line technology, the OBX brings to market an optimised modularity and central office practicality, it is claimed.