After successfully transmitting 1.6 terabit per second (Tbps) of data on a live network — featuring Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) — Arelion will deploy the broadband technology across its entire North American network.

The trial was conducted on Arelion’s 470 km route between Equinix’s point-of-presence (PoP) in Ashburn, Virginia and Telxius’s landing station in Virginia Beach.

The announcement from the two companies says that WL6e uses innovations in digital signal processing to increase energy efficiency and performance. In the test, these improvements increased space and power by 50% and increased special efficiency 15% compared to previous generations.

These improvements will enable Arelion to deliver multiple 400 Gbps and 800 Gbps services optimized for 1.6 Tbps line capacity. The new capabilities are aimed at meeting increasing bandwidth demands. The press release notes that 5G, artificial intelligence, machine learning cloud services, and content delivery are drivers for both wholesalers and enterprise customers. Connectivity times also will accelerate.

The trial also utilized Ciena’s open, programmable 6500 Reconfigurable Line System (RLS), which is designed to simplify and automate network service provisioning and reconfiguration.

“This new benchmark reflects our ongoing investment in cutting-edge optical networking technologies that increase capacity and performance while reducing energy consumption to benefit our customers,” Dariusz Solowiej, the vice president of network technology and customer operations at Arelion, said in a press release.

“Our collaboration with Ciena is crucial in supporting global enterprises’ capacity needs amid rising power and colocation costs, helping us provide the reliable connectivity companies need to transfer massive data volumes at the fastest speeds available today.”