Nortel Networks transforms education experience with leading-edge optical solutions

Fiber Optics Weekly Update, July 2, 2004

The University of Pennsylvania is strengthening the ability of its researchers to collaborate on next-generation Internet capabilities with their peers around the world through optical networking solutions specifically designed for education from Nortel Networks.

The University's network transformation will provide its researchers with a high-performance, secure, and scalable network for improved high-speed connection to Internet2, a consortium of more than 200 universities working in collaboration with industry and government to develop and deploy advanced network applications and technologies. The optical solutions from Nortel Networks will also strengthen the University's business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities to prevent unplanned downtime.

The University of Pennsylvania has deployed Nortel Networks Optical Metro 5200 to establish connectivity to the regional carrier hotel where the Internet 2 GigaPoP MAGPI has its routing core. The University uses Nortel Networks DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) capabilities to deliver multiple services cost-effectively to its campus, along with Internet2.

"As one of the founding members of Internet2, the University of Pennsylvania is focused on playing a leading role in developing the next generation Internet," said Greg Palmer, director of the MAGPI GigaPoP, University of Pennsylvania. "To meet that objective, we selected Nortel Networks Optical Metro 5200 because it will support our efforts to create a leading-edge network for the national research community and enable the rapid transfer of new network services and applications to the broader Internet community within Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Also, this platform gives us the added benefit of protecting our mission-critical data in the event of a disaster."

Nortel Networks Optical Metro 5200 can support an array of high-capacity data services and offer resilient fiber optic transport to support bandwidth- and processing-intensive research projects in areas such as particle physics and health sciences. This DWDM-based platform is designed to provide leading-edge flexibility and scalability with long-term investment protection.

"We're committed to bringing educational institutions revolutionary technology capabilities to foster a positive learning community and enrich the student life experience," said Philippe Morin, general manager, Optical Networks, Nortel Networks. "Nortel Networks optical networking solutions can cost-effectively support the University of Pennsylvania researchers' bandwidth-intensive applications and enable grid computing and distributed global problem solving."

The University of Pennsylvania deployment is just one example of Nortel Networks furthering commitment to the K-12, higher education, and advanced research educational markets through its innovative technology solutions. Nortel Networks offers a portfolio of optical networking solutions designed to transform the educational experience by delivering up to 1,000 times the bandwidth of legacy services while simplifying network design through convergence of voice, video, data, and storage over a single infrastructure.

Convergence technologies provide cost-effective solutions to help transform the learning experience by enabling educational institutions to deliver new multimedia applications such as digital libraries, distance learning, voice over IP (VoIP), virtual laboratories, and digital imaging, while maintaining business continuity through high-performance storage extension.