Verizon Communications (VZ) is rolling out 100G technology on select high-traffic metropolitan and regional networks in the U.S. The telco is implementing Fujitsu’s FLASHWAVE 9500 platform and the Tellabs+ 7100 system in its metro networks.  Verizon will target metro areas where “traffic demand is highest,” the company said. It did not identify which markets will see the deployments.

“Metro deployment of 100G technology is the natural progression of Verizon’s aggressive deployment of 100G technology in its long-haul network,” said Lee Hicks, vice president of Verizon Network Planning. “It’s time to gain the same efficiencies in the metro network that we have in the long-haul network. By taking the long view, we’re staying ahead of network needs and customer demands as well as preparing for next-generation services.”

Verizon says the benefits of 100G scalability are especially relevant for signal performance, which is improved by using a single 100G wavelength as opposed to aggregating 10-10G wavelengths. Also, less space and reduced power requirements are needed to support 100G technology, compared with traditional 10G technology, so fewer pieces of equipment are needed to carry the same amount of traffic.

Verizon claims it’s been a leader in 100G technology and we tend to agree. Beginning in November 2007, the company successfully completed the industry’s first field trial of 100G optical traffic on a live system. Verizon currently has 39,000 miles of 100G technology deployed on its global IP network. 

+ In Dec 2013, Tellabs was acquired by Marlin Equity Partners for $891 Million in cash (compare that to Google paying $19B for WhatsApp).  http://www.tellabs.com/news/2013/marlin-completes-acquisition.pdf

References:

http://newscenter.verizon.com/corporate/news-articles/2014/04-15-100g-te…

http://www.channelpartnersonline.com/news/2014/04/verizon-unleashes-100g…