DE-CIX in Germany is the first customer to be connected via an 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) port to Europe’s largest Internet Exchange (IX). This is a first not only for the ecosystem of the world’s leading IX operator, but for the global interconnection industry as a whole. At the heart of the system are Nokia’s new 800G-ZR+ single-lambda optics, which transmit 800 gigabits per second on a single wavelength, plugged into Nokia’s 800GE capable IP routers. The 800G-ZR+ optics mark the next leap forward in network technology: double the data performance, higher efficiency, lower energy consumption.
“To connect the telecommunications company, we installed high-performance 800 GE capable routers from Nokia. The provisioning of routers, optics, and ports was fully automated on the software and configuration side – and took just a few hours,” said Dr. Thomas King, DE-CIX CTO.
Instead of distributing data across multiple wavelengths, all traffic runs on a single wavelength with the new 800G-ZR+ optics. And whereas in older systems with multiple wavelengths bits and bytes are aggregated again after transmission, this step is now completely eliminated. Having all packets flow over a single wavelength and a single optical module saves hardware, space, cabling, and power, and optimizes the data flow. Customers also save costs because a single cross connect is sufficient to connect to DE-CIX. With their standardized design, which can be integrated directly into routers, the new optical modules simplify operation and make networks future-proof and scaleable.
“In recent years, we have consistently automated and standardized our processes and platform. With end-to-end automation, we are creating the basis for an efficient and scalable Interconnection as a Service platform in the global ecosystem,” said Tim Kleefass, Vice President Interconnection Platform at DE-CIX.
DE-CIX and Nokia have been partners in the field of network technology for more than ten years. Together, the two companies are driving innovation in routing and optical transmission solutions and regularly set new benchmarks for performance and automation at DE-CIX locations worldwide. “The collaboration with DE-CIX is particularly important to us because it enables us to deploy our optical innovations directly in one of the most advanced interconnection environments in the world,” says Matthieu Bourguignon, Senior Vice President Europe at Nokia Networks Infrastructure. “With 800G-ZR+ single-lambda optics, we are jointly setting new standards for efficient, scalable, and automatable network infrastructures and demonstrating how technological advances are shaping the future of global data exchange.”
Global data traffic at the DE-CIX Internet Exchanges reached a new record in 2024 at over 68 exabytes – 15 percent more than in 2023 and more than twice as much as in 2020. DE-CIX Frankfurt alone recorded a data flow of 45 exabytes, which corresponds to an increase of 13 percent compared to 2023.
