Mid-Atlantic Crossroads establishes 100G R&E network

Leveraging optical equipment and services from its existing vendor Fujitsu (OTC: FJTSY.PK), MAX will serve a number of constituents, including 44 universities, federal agencies, government laboratories, and nonprofit institutions in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

With the 100G network in place, MAX's member organizations will be able to conduct high-bandwidth research applications such as climate modeling, genetics and visualization.

Dr. Abdella Battou, MAX's executive director, said that by using Fujitsu's platforms for its 100G deployment, "MAX is able to support increasingly bandwidth-intensive, packet-based applications without forfeiting the organization's investments in more traditional optical technologies."

MAX began designing the 100G network in 2010. When it began working with Fujitsu in 2007, it deployed the FLASHWAVE 7500 ROADM and three-degree wavelength switching at the hub site. Later, in 2008 it built an additional three nodes (six in total) that featured a five-degree ROADM configuration.