Alcatel and Ooredoo deploy 400G backbone network in Africa

Alcatel-Lucent and Ooredoo Algeria have built a high-capacity optical transport network to connect Algeria’s main cities of Algiers, Constantine and Oran - as well as smaller cities - with high-speed ultra-broadband mobile access.

The agile optical network is Africa’s first Alcatel-Lucent 400G (gigabits-per-second) ‘backbone’. It will provide dramatically increased speed and capacity compared to previous Algerian mobile networks.

The network will be based on Alcatel-Lucent’s dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) optical transport technology using the 1830 Photonic Service Switch platform, which is now the mainstay of the company’s terrestrial optical business.

Building the first 400G-based backbone in Africa for Ooredoo Algeria comes weeks after being one of the first operators in the world reaching the highest speed of 63 MBps over its 3G network. This advanced technological strategy will help meet the rising demand from residential and business customers for high-quality service on their smartphones, tablets and other connected devices. The 400 G-based backbone will also be leveraged to support the emergence of a strong Algerian new tech ecosystem.

Joseph Ged, chief executive officer at Ooredoo Algeria, said: “Ooredoo Algeria has the fastest growing 3G network in the country and in north Africa. Our 400G network will be instrumental to support the best quality of experience (QoE) for our customers as well as to increase our market share in Algeria. Through this game-changing achievement we intend to consolidate our technology leadership within the Maghreb region but also in Algeria in order to offer to our clients best-in-class network in terms of capacity and speed. We are proud of our team, who has been able to successfully implement cutting-edge projects to meet the highest standard of the industry with the support of our partner Alcatel-Lucent. One again, Ooredoo demonstrates the Algerian telecoms leadership not only in the Maghreb but also in Africa.”

Ooredoo Algeria will use Alcatel-Lucent’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) with high-capacity OTN (optical transport network) switching capacity and 400G technology to address the booming demand  for high-bandwidth mobile data services such as high-definition video streaming, next-generation mobile broadband applications and cloud services. The 1830 PSS is now Alcatel-Lucent’s primary terrestrial optics platform, in use with over 500 customers.

Alcatel-Lucent is supplying Ooredoo Algeria with its soft decision forward error correction (SD-FEC)-based 100G coherent optical technology developed using the company’s 400G Photonic Service Engine (PSE). SD-FEC increases the performance and reach of 400G signals.

Pierre Chaume, vice-president, Alcatel-Lucent Middle East & North Africa, said: “Thanks to 400G and the efficiency of OTN sub-wavelength grooming, Ooredoo Algeria’s new network will support the booming explosion of data traffic generated by the proliferation of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets and do so in the most economical way. As Alcatel-Lucent, we are proud to be Ooredoo’s partner in the transport area and to enable Ooredoo Algeria to be the first service provider to deploy our 400G solution in Africa. It will enable Ooredoo Algeria to take and maintain the lead in providing robust service in Algeria for the foreseeable future.”