Building a network across thousands of kilometres of diverse terrain in often tough weather may seem a big ask but it can be – and in fact has been – done.
Infinera, a global supplier of networking solutions for carriers, cloud operators, governments and enterprises, has announced that RETN, an international network service provider, has used Infinera’s fourth-generation Infinite Capacity Engine (ICE4)-based platform to power its TRANSKZ network and complete its latest phase upgrade, completed in May 2019.
Infinera says that the new terrestrial solution connecting Europe and Asia provides the first true alternative to existing subsea cable systems. The network supports three diverse paths of similar lengths from Europe to the border of China via Kazakhstan in partnership with Transtelecom JSC, and offers low-latency and high-capacity services linking all major locations in commercial and financial hubs between Europe and Asia.
RETN is one of the fastest-growing independent European providers of Internet transit and connectivity services. It is the only provider that operates its own end-to-end Eurasian network of unique geographical coverage. Stretching between North America and Asia, the RETN network offers differentiated terrestrial connectivity between a number of major markets: Western Europe, Central Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States countries, Russia, and Kazakhstan, running onward to the Chinese border.
The TRANSKZ network stretches across a diverse terrain of more than 15,000 kilometres and interconnects critical markets which are currently underserved territories across the route. Working closely with Infinera, RETN completed the final 4,000 kilometres of the main route in Kazakhstan, including areas that experience often harsh weather conditions, and deployed services on the long-distance network in less than 30 days.
