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Winners
KPN International
Expanding the European
information superhighway to 100G
A leading coherent 100G commercial application has enabled KPN International to further boost its bandwidth
and network stability, serving customers even better while keeping its network on the cutting edge.
By Sun Yan
Editor: Michael huangzhuojian@huawei.com
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Winners
KPN’s WDM backbone is now one of the largest in Europe,
providing a wide spectrum of services such as wavelength,
international private line, VPN (MPLS and Ethernet) and IP transit,
plus a multitude of value-added services.
rollout with Huawei as its partner. Over four
months, KPN deployed a network of 3,000 km
connecting more than twenty major European
cities, including Amsterdam, Luxembourg,
Brussels, Frankfurt, and London, making it one
of the largest WDM backbone networks of its
kind in Europe. In this context, the operator
had ample bandwidth to launch and accelerate
its international private line, international voice,
VPN, and wavelength services.
From 2006 to 2008, global IP traffic grew
explosively. Global backbone WDM traffic
increased by more than 40% annually, and slightly
faster in Europe (44%); 40G interfaces for core
routers had matured, and routers with 40G linecards
were being deployed worldwide. With 40G
transmission commercially available on a limited
basis, KPN saw great potential in 40G leasing.
In September 2008, KPN secured an order for
40G service between Amsterdam and London. The
40G network, however, had to span the English
Channel, which presented an enormous challenge.
The possibilities for setting up intermediate
wavelength regeneration sites seemed remote, as
the channel averages 180 km in width.
Huawei’s diverse experience in 40G deployment
won KPN over once again. Both parties worked
to assess KPN’s networks and compare different
solutions. Finally, 40G eDQPSK technology,
with its excellent transmission capability and
compatibility with KPN’s existing infrastructure,
was finally chosen. Huawei helped KPN upgrade its
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sites and install 40G service boards. In only three
weeks, KPN established a stable 40G transmission
link spanning 214 km of the channel.
Promising the future: 40G to 100G
In 2010, IEEE 802.3ba, the 40G/100G
Ethernet standard, was officially released, which
helped jump-start the development of its industrial
chain; 100G applications were maturing thanks to
joint efforts between vendors and operators.
By early 2011, KPN had been serving customers
in 22 European countries through its WDM
backbone network. Service growth, however,
had led to bottlenecks, with the Amsterdam-
London link being one of the major choke points,
while users of the Amsterdam-Luxembourg link
were demanding 100G speeds to smoothen their
interactions with content providers and system
integrators. After its successful 40G rollout,
KPN expected that a 100G upgrade, based on its
platform, would also be possible, with Huawei’s
help.
Early in 2008, Huawei launched its 100G
prototypes and worked with more than ten
operators to verify 100G on live networks. In the
two years that followed, Huawei improved its 100G
solutions. When KPN foresaw that their network
would lead to bottlenecks, they started discussions
with Huawei to test the 100G solution on the
platform to increase the capacity in what were then
bottlenecked links. KPN’s networks had mixed
10G and 40G services, with greater demand on
nonlinearity resistance. In addition, their network
used both G.652 and G.655 fiber, creating CD and
PMD tolerance problems. Huawei recommended
its 100G coherent detection solution for the
upgrade.
The cooperation between both parties
culminated in a successful upgrade of the
Amsterdam-London and Amsterdam-Luxembourg
links; the former extends over 500 km, including
the aforementioned link across the English
Channel, and functions without electrical
regeneration, while the latter spans more than 600
km, including the urban fiber. Thanks to these
efforts, KPN can now call itself one of the first
operators to deploy 100G commercially.
“KPN International is committed to providing
users with reliable, fast and innovative services. The
leading coherent 100G commercial application
enables us to secure large bandwidth and high
stability requirements on our network and serve
our customers even better,” said Jasper Snijder,
Managing Director of KPN International.
“Due to Huawei’s leading WDM solutions, our
international network remains at the cutting-edge,
providing high performance to accommodate fastgrowing
service demands.”
In the future, KPN is expected to continue
expansion of its ultra-broadband services through
migration of its busiest links to 100G.
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