Belnet has a long-running Scalability Improvement Project, aimed at strengthening the core of the Belnet network and improving connectivity. Recently, significant steps have been taken, including the upgrade of routers and the migration of some Points of Presence (PoPs).
What does the project entail?
Under the banner of the Scalability Improvement Project, Belnet boosted the core of its network by installing new routers. Afterwards, our teams migrated a number of strategic PoPs, namely Leuven-Heverlee, Leuven-Gasthuisberg, Louvain-la-Neuve and Brussels-Campus to the upgraded backbone. These PoPs can now welcome multiple 100G customers.
Furthermore, orders have been placed for the step-by-step upgrade of our other PoPs, the order of which will be determined according to our network team's analyses and customer needs. For 2024, the nodes in Ghent will be the first to be upgraded.
Why this upgrade?
Our customers' increasing need for bandwidth and high-capacity ports drove this project. With the constant growth in internet usage, it became essential to increase our backbone capacity and expand the number of 100GE ports in the PoPs.
How did we proceed?
Belnet installed a new type of cards in its existing routers, allowing greater capacity and port density. To upgrade the backbone, new lambda (wavelengths) were used on the DWDM network to increase the capacity of the PoPs. The new cards offer high 100GE density, enabling Belnet to connect multiple 100G customers in its PoPs.
This incremental approach underlines Belnet's commitment to providing future-proof, high-quality connectivity to its users. The continuous evolution of the network is crucial to continue meeting the ever-changing demands of the digital world. Belnet is committed to staying at the forefront of this dynamic environment and proactively responding to its customers' connectivity needs.
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