Not-for-profit digital tech and resources for further education specialist Jisc says it will enhance its Janet Network offering by deploying Ciena’s Packet Networking platforms, providing high-speed connectivity across the UK.

Having previously worked with Ciena to deliver 400G wavelength connectivity, Jisc has selected Ciena’s 8700 and 5170 Packet Networking platforms to address growing needs for high-bandwidth services delivering up to 100GbE, as well as reducing footprint and power costs.

Over the next four years, Jisc will upgrade and rearchitect its access infrastructure across the UK with Ciena’s platforms.

The Janet Network is the busiest National Research and Education Network (NREN) in Europe, carrying more than 1.5 petabytes (PB) of information annually.

“Our goal is for the UK to be the most digitally-advanced higher and further education and research nation in the world. To do that, it is vital that we continue to improve Janet, which supports more than 18 million users and 800 organisations across the UK,” said Janet Chief Technology Officer, Jeremy Sharp. “Ciena’s platforms help us provide the fast, highly-resilient and scalable connectivity that gives our members the best research and collaboration experience possible.”

“Scientific research and education hinges on high-speed, reliable connectivity,” said Rod Wilson, Chief Technologist for Research Networks at Ciena. “Rapid growth in data intensive research such as high-energy physics and genome engineering means that researchers need agile networks to support a range of services from massive flows for computational science to distributed services for individual researchers and educators.”

Image by Tomislav Jakupec from Pixabay