Trends such as multi-cloud adoption, remote working, and rapid adoption of IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and big data analytics technologies are driving exponential demand for bandwidth among enterprises of all types and sizes. As a result, service providers need network infrastructure that is faster and more scalable and efficient than ever before.

A converged switching and routing portfolio can meet these needs and deliver significant advantages, especially when it:

Taking a different approach
Typically, service providers face several key challenges when it comes to delivering fast, reliable connectivity to support these kinds of enterprise applications. Not least of these is that traditional access network architectures are typically unable to scale quickly enough to meet enterprises’ growing bandwidth needs or are able to support the next generation of premium, low-latency business services.

For example, traditional access networks are typically built on proprietary technologies that tie service providers into slow innovation and release cycles. Another standard feature of these architectures is bulky switching and routing infrastructure that increases maintenance and support requirements and real estate and power costs, resulting in high carbon emissions.

As an additional challenge, scaling up services for enterprise customers withtraditional access infrastructures typically requires “rip and replace” upgrades to routers, driving up CAPEX costs, increasing truck rolls, and extending time to market (TTM) for new services.

Optimizing network performance, scalability, and efficiency
To help enterprise service providers overcome the challenges and limitations of traditional chassis-based broadband networks, Ciena enables IP/optical convergence, facilitated by our purpose-built routers and coherent plugs. This converged infrastructure allows enterprise service providers to scale services on demand with Ethernet plugs, providing 10GbE or 25GbE services. Native hard and soft network slicing capabilities support premium and SLA-backed services and help maximize resource utilization and ROI for network assets.

Combining Ciena’s optical and routing innovations in a single, converged architecture also offers significant improvements in footprint and power savings, enabling more efficient and sustainable networks. For example, evolving from a traditional optical and IP network architecture to Ciena’s converged access architecture offers an estimated 67% reduction in equipment footprint and a 63% education in power consumption.1

Ciena’s Navigator Network Control Suite™ (Navigator NCS) provides a comprehensive set of automation capabilities for enterprise service providers, helping to maximize operating efficiency and streamlining network troubleshooting. This delivers significant OPEX savings for the entire access infrastructure.

And Ciena Services uses its deep familiarity with designing, deploying, maintaining, and managed converged architecture solutions. Our unique insights and skills, proven methodologies, and automated tools ensure smooth and rapid TTM while mitigating risk.

Fast-tracking convergence with open technology
Ciena systems, services, and software are built on open industry standards and protocols, allowing enterprise service providers to build out access networks using best-of-breed components. There is also no risk of lock-in to a specific vendor’s technology, innovation cycle, or supply chain limitations.

As an additional benefit, our coherent plugs can be used with a range of multi-vendor equipment, including routers from all the leading network OEMs, ensuring that service providers can maximize returns on existing network assets and upgrade networks at their chosen pace.

With open APIs built on open protocols such as NETCONF/YANG, Ciena equipment can accommodate future networking technology, minimizing the risk of stranded assets and eliminating the need for future “rip and replace” infrastructure upgrades.

Serving new markets to multiply revenue opportunities
In addition to providing flexibility for how enterprise service providers build and upgrade their networks, Ciena makes it possible to deliver multiple services over the same converged architecture, thereby creating new revenue opportunities and helping to maximize network asset utilization and monetization.

The same Ciena router can be equipped with different types of plugs to deliver services to different markets. For example, 10GbE or 25GbE Ethernet plugs can deliver dedicated enterprise services for one or more customers, 25GbE plugs can pick up traffic from 3G, 4G, or 5G radios at mobile cell sites, and each XGS-PON micro–optical line terminal (uOLT) plug can serve up to 128 residential customers and extend the reach of residential broadband. As a result, Ciena’s converged approach opens a range of new revenue and deployment opportunities, helping to:

  • Pick up xHaul traffic from local cell towers that are straining under the weight of 4G and, increasingly, 5G traffic
  • Boost efficiency and revenue potential based on fiber sharing in the access network, which helps to further reduce CAPEX and OPEX
  • Expand residential broadband—routers can be equipped with uOLT XGS-PON transceivers (to serve up to 128 residential customers per uOLT)
  • Serve large offices and multi-tenant buildings using XGS-PON—by deploying uOLT XGS-PON transceivers in the network termination device, shared fiber access can be deployed in buildings

Our end-to-end automation and management platform, Navigator NCS, interoperates with multi-vendor infrastructure elements, so you can bring the efficiency and performance benefits of automation and software-defined networking to your existing environment.

As the solutions are modular, you can deploy a small number of routers and ports initially to serve new markets or geographies and grow incrementally to ensure that service revenues remain aligned (and ahead of) network investments.

We can also help networks scale using a spine-leaf architecture. It is possible to scale solutions as small as one port to large solutions of 256 ports and beyond, allowing you to grow enterprise services quickly and seamlessly. We also support network disaggregation, allowing physical and virtualized network functions to be either centralized or distributed in the network to maximize performance and efficiency and support seamless scaling of services and customer numbers. Plus, Ciena software—including Navigator NCS—also scales seamlessly to handle even the largest network requirements.

With these capabilities, enterprise service providers can expand into new markets and new geographical areas profitably, keeping infrastructure investments and revenues aligned every step of the way.

To discover more about Ciena’s offerings for enterprise service providers and how they can help your business maximize network efficiency, scalability, and monetization, sign up for a 1:1 consultation with our team.

1Cury, Daniel, “How to build a sustainable, next-generation broadband network with Ciena,” Ciena, May 2023