11 April 2022

IP Telecom has commissioned Nokia to extend its fibre optic network around metro areas in Portugal, with a key emphasis on quantum security.

The Finnish tech firm will supply IP Telecom with networking equipment to build an encrypted optical data centre interconnect (DCI) solution. The network will use 100Gbps and 200Gbps data rates and will apparently be ready to deliver 400GE services in the future.

Nokia says there has been a rise in sophisticated data theft and the line encryption is supposed to protect against unauthorised data tapping in the fibre optic network.
Its kit will provide as part of the deal includes the 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS), 1830 Photonic Service Interconnect – Modular (PSI-M) optical transport platforms and the 1830 SMS secure management server.

The 1830 SMS platform is where the security number crunching happens. Running the encryption of the optical links from central location, Nokia says the solution gives ‘immediate protection against highly sophisticated brute-force attacks, including threats from emerging quantum computers.’

IP Telecom has data centres in Lisbon, Porto and Viseu, and this network expansion will allow it to reach out to additional nodes throughout Portugal.

“Nokia’s modular optical networking solution allows us to easily upgrade each customer’s cloud DCI as needed and at the same time, ease any concerns about data protection,” said Pedro Mendonça, IP and telcos director at IP Telecom. “The encryption capabilities are a differentiator for us.”