Last August, Malaysians could only sit back in envy as our Singaporean neighbours announced its 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) fast network, the first in the region. But Malaysians, brace yourself up, 100 Gbps fast Internet is underway to the peninsula. And the good news is, unlike Singapore, the fast network is available to everyone, not restricted only to researchers and students.
In a press statement released yesterday, Transmode, a Swedish global supplier of packet optical networking solutions announced that the backbone fibre optic network in Peninsula Malaysia has been upgraded. The network, which is now capable of 100 Gbps, was upgraded recently by Fiberail, a regional carrier, with assistance provided by Transmode and Nera Networks, Swedish regional systems integrators.
“Fiberail’s new 100G optical network is an international network that provides multiple high-capacity communications to Tier 1 and Tier 2 service providers in Malaysia. The Transmode solution increases Fiberail’s capacity and service offerings substantially, especially in the northern half of Malaysia,” Transmode said in a statement.
The solution adopted by Fiberail is called EMXP 220 IIe, a packet-optical transport switch which provides both 10G and 100G ports with a central 220G switch giving wire-speed switching. At the initial stages, Fiberail will be offering 10G networking and it will be increased to 100G based on the demands from the users.
“By combing the best of the optical and Ethernet worlds, it enables the carrier to turn on MEF Carrier Ethernet 2.0 services as well as MPLS-TP and OTN transport, ensuring high service performance and scalability.
“Fiberail needed to expand capacity on its fibre network and cost-effectively increase the flexibility of service provision to its customers,” Transmode added.
Founded in 1992, Fiberail is a joint-venture company between Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad and Petrofibre Network (M) Sdn Bhd. The company provides the backbone infrastructure and ancillary services to telecommunications providers in the country.
According to a report by The Rakyat Post, Fiberail has recently spanned 156,343km of fibre optic core network on its backbone along the KTM and Petronas gas pipeline corridors respectively. It also stretches throughout the length of the peninsula with an additional network along the gas pipeline corridor to the east coast, passes through almost all the major and rural towns.
Advantages of the new 100Gbps optical network
Apart from having a high speed Internet, the new network also includes Ethernet Ring Protection Version 2 (ERPv2). With ERPv2, it is able to provide a robust and scalable Ethernet network. It also supports both Layer 1 and 2 packet optical applications.
According to Transmode, the network also uniquely provides end-to-end Ethernet service provisioning across the Transmode network and third party layer 1 optical equipment via so called “alien wavelengths” to other parts of Fiberail’s network.
The new network not only provides Fiberail the flexibility and scalability in providing multiple high-speed services, but also delivers the robustness and redundancy needed in order to manage and protect the services.
