The Zayo Group has announced that it has expanded the capacity of its European network to include 400G speeds. Their European network is now fully 400G enabled. This move would not only strengthen Zayo’s position in the European market, but also guarantee connections with high bandwidth and low latency across all continents.
The 400G-enablement would allows a myriad of entities, ranging from businesses, and data centers to carriers and hyperscalers, to tap into a robust connectivity framework across Europe. This framework boasts of direct routing to facilitate multi-cloud and multi-market connections. It’s noteworthy that Zayo isn’t limiting this capability to Europe; plans are already underway to bring this enhancement to its North American network by the conclusion of 2024.
Zayo’s venture into 400G doesn’t just signify an upgrade; it would position the company at the forefront of global connectivity, according to the company itself. The reach of Zayo’s network is stretching from the northernmost parts of the UK, cutting through the European mainland, and extending globally. Powering this vast network are five diverse subsea cables, with three under Zayo’s direct control. Additionally, it covers 2,500 on-net buildings, encompasses 125 pivotal points of presence (PoPs), and spans 16 metropolitan fiber markets.
Cloud Connectivity
A recent study by Omdia, in collaboration with Ciena, emphasises the rising importance of 400G in today’s business landscape. The research indicated a notable 74% of companies leaning on high-capacity services, like the 400G, for cloud connectivity and inter-enterprise connections. Moreover, 58% of firms are adopting this for inter-data center communications. This pivot towards 400G underscores its benefits, including its scalability, user-friendly application, and reduced circuit oversight.
One of the standout features of Zayo’s 400G-enhanced network is its nod to sustainability. A comparison with the original WaveLogic generation, which forms the foundation of Zayo’s network, showed that the WaveLogic 5 Extreme, integrated with the 400G capability, remarkably boosts fiber capacity three times over, trims down power consumption by 80%, and reduces spatial requirements by a staggering 85%.
Zayo’s vision doesn’t stop here. The company’s recent feat of setting a world record for the longest 800G optical wave, spanning 1,044.51km in a commercial network, would showcase its forward-thinking approach.
Yannick Leboyer, Zayo Group’s Managing Director in Europe, highlighted the growing reliance of customers on high-bandwidth applications. He stated, “From AI, IoT to advanced analytics, businesses are in a constant race to stay competitive. We’re not just providing them with a network; we’re equipping them to stay ahead in this race.”
Further endorsing the shift to 400G, Will Rhodes from Ciena remarked, “The 400G wave services have transitioned from being a niche offering to a mainstream market requirement in Europe. Companies are striving for top-tier capacity, driven by innovative applications like AI and the growing M2M connectivity.”
In sum, Zayo‘s 400G-enhanced European network is not just a technological upgrade; it’s a strategic move towards a future where speed, capacity, and sustainability would drive global communications.
