Italy’s Sparkle deploys Infinera XT-3600 in new Nibble Network
Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) says it has supplied its XT-3600 optical transport platform to Italy’s Sparkle. The service provider is using the optical network hardware in the construction of the Nibble Network, an ultra-long-haul fiber-optic backbone network that will link Sicily with points of presence and data centers around Europe.
The Nibble deployment will progress in multiple phases through the end of 2020, says Sparkle. The first fiber route, planned to go live this summer, will connect Sparkle’s Sicily Hub in Palermo with the Milan Caldera data center. Eventually, Sparkle envisions Nibble linking with the service provider’s current Mediterranean and Balkans fiber networks as well as the new BlueMed submarine cable that will link Palermo and Milan via Genoa. Sparkle expects BlueMed to be ready for service in 2020 as well.
Nibble will leverage not only Infinera’s XT-3600 optical transport platform for 100 Gigabit Ethernet transmission but its Instant Bandwidth (says Infinera) and Instant Network (says Sparkle) capabilities. Instant Network is a license-based capacity enablement approach through which Sparkle will be able to turn up additional bandwidth on various links quickly and automatically (see “Infinera offers Instant Network, Automated Capacity Engineering capabilities”).
“Sparkle confirms its strong leadership in the European telecom market with a solution that ensures top quality and efficiency standards,” said Mario Di Mauro, Sparkle’s CEO. “The Gigabit Society is demanding faster and more sophisticated capacity services and with the Infinera Instant Network solution we can expand our geographical footprint and satisfy customers’ needs at light speed, investing only in the capacity we need to deploy, where and when we need it.”
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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