Pacnet Launches First Network Virtualization for the Optical Layer With Infinera Open Transport Switch

SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 10, 2015) - Infinera, a provider of Intelligent Transport Networks, announced that Pacnet, a leading provider of integrated network and technology solutions in the Asia-Pacific region, has deployed Infinera's new Open Transport Switch (OTS) software to extend network virtualization into the optical layer.

Pacnet deployed Infinera's OTS within its award-winning Software-defined Networking (SDN) platform, Pacnet Enabled Network (PEN), across the most extensive, solely-owned 100 gigabits per second (Gb/s) enabled trans-Pacific and intra-Asia submarine network in the Asia-Pacific region. Pacnet's existing Intelligent Transport Network is based on the Infinera DTN-X packet optical transport networking platform.

PEN delivers scalable bandwidth and software-enabled intelligence, allowing customers to dynamically provision bandwidth in minutes through a custom portal based on their business needs. PEN is an SDN-based service delivery platform that has successfully offered Layer 2 Ethernet services on-demand from 1 megabit per second to 10 Gb/s. Today the combined power of the OTS software and the DTN-X platform allows PEN to offer a Layer 1 transport bandwidth on-demand service in increments of N x 10 Gb/s, and it is designed to allow services in increments of N x 100 Gb/s for high-capacity customers in the future.

Leveraging a DevOps model, Pacnet was able to integrate the Infinera OTS together with the PEN platform and deploy the new service in a matter of a few months -- in an industry where new service creation and introduction is known to typically take 12 to 24 months. In addition, Pacnet has deployed the Infinera OTS into its existing DTN-X production network by running in Hybrid Control mode, with new services leveraging bandwidth under SDN control, while existing production services continue to operate using their Infinera DNA network management system.

The Infinera OTS was designed from the ground up with an IT mindset, is constructed with a lightweight and open web 2.0 architecture, and can rapidly integrate new features supporting service providers who are transforming to a DevOps model. The Infinera OTS software abstracts and virtualizes the underlying multi-layer Intelligent Transport Network taking advantage of the highly scalable and software controllable DTN-X platform. OTS then presents modern, open application programming interfaces (APIs) to enable simple programming of the transport network by any SDN controller or orchestration system. Alternate solutions in the market often require the deployment of heavyweight network management software (NMS) and a vendor-supplied controller to support SDN deployments, resulting in the possibility of slower feature velocity and vendor lock-in. 

"This new service offering highlights how Pacnet continues to lead through innovation, particularly in the area of Software-defined Network services," stated Michael Howard, principal analyst, Carrier Networks at IHS-Infonetics Research. "While many providers have been doing SDN lab evaluations or performing SDN proof of concept tests, Pacnet today is delivering the first large-scale, commercially available Transport SDN-enabled service, and it is based on the Infinera Open Transport Switch."

"In November 2013, we launched the industry's first fully-automated, SDN-based service delivery platform, Pacnet Enabled Network, on Layer 2 Ethernet. Today, we are excited to continue to lead through innovation by bringing this capability to our optical layer," said Jim Fagan, president, managed services at Pacnet. "With this deployment, Pacnet can deliver to our customers a true Cloud experience to better utilize our unrivalled network assets."

"The production deployment of the Infinera Open Transport Switch to support Pacnet's innovative new service demonstrates how an open networking approach, combined with a DevOps model, reduces time to market for new services," said Stu Elby, senior vice president, Cloud network strategy and technology at Infinera. "We believe the availability of the Infinera Open Transport Switch makes the Infinera Intelligent Transport Network the most programmable optical networking solution available, enabling our customers to rapidly develop new services with the SDN controller of their choice." 

Additional Resources

• Network Virtualization Finally Reaches the Optical layer
• Infinera Transport SDN
• Infinera Open Transport Switch

About Pacnet
Pacnet is Asia-Pacific's leading provider of managed data connectivity solutions to major telecommunications carriers, large multinational enterprises and government entities. Ownership of the region's most extensive high-capacity submarine cable systems with over 46,000 km of fiber and connectivity to interconnected data centers across 15 cities in the Asia-Pacific region gives Pacnet unparalleled reach to major business centers in key markets including China, India, Japan and the United States. Combined with a comprehensive set of managed network and value-added data center services, its assets and experience in the region help Pacnet service large businesses worldwide including Fortune 500 companies. Pacnet is headquartered in Hong Kong and Singapore, with offices in all key markets in the Asia-Pacific region and North America. For more information, please visit: www.pacnet.com.

About Infinera
Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) provides Intelligent Transport Networks for network operators, enabling reliable, easy to operate, high-capacity optical networks. Infinera leverages its unique large-scale photonic integrated circuits to deliver innovative optical networking solutions for the most demanding network environments. Intelligent Transport Networks enable carriers, Cloud network operators, governments and enterprises to automate, converge and scale their data center, metro, long-haul and subsea optical networks. To learn more about Infinera visit www.infinera.com, follow us on Twitter @Infinera and read our latest blog posts at blog.infinera.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements including but not limited to the features, functionality and advantages that Infinera products offer to its customers. These statements are not guarantees of results and should not be considered as an indication of future activity or future performance. Actual results may vary materially from these expectations as a result of various risks and uncertainties. Information about these risks and uncertainties, and other risks and uncertainties that affect Infinera's business, is contained in the risk factors section and other sections of Infinera's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 27, 2014 as filed with the SEC on February 18, 2015, as well subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC. These reports are available on Infinera's website at www.infinera.com and the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Infinera assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements.