Peninsula Fiber Network (PFN), a leading provider of fiber-optic-based telecommunications and Next Generation 911 (NG-911) services throughout Michigan, Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota, is deploying a Coherent Routing solution from Ciena to modernize its network.

Marquette, Michigan-based PFN operates one of the largest fiber-optic networks in the Midwest, extending through Northern Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, and into Canada.

a map showing of part of Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota

A ‘carrier’s carrier,’ PFN provides telecoms, transport and broadband services to governments, businesses and internet and wireless providers. PFN also furnishes network access points across much of the United States in conjunction with its Indatel Network Consortium partners. Crucially, the carrier partners with the public safety community to provide NG-911 services in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Central to all the services that PFN provides is reliable, high-speed, carrier-grade connectivity.

Faced with intensifying demand for bandwidth and a need for greater reliability and control of network routes, PFN set out to deploy an ultra-reliable, high-capacity, future-ready network.

When it came to the decision as to which vendor it would entrust with its network modernization, PFN selected Ciena due to its leading technology and trusted, long-term relationship with the company.

Ciena solutions supporting PFN

PFN’s new network leverages Ciena’s 3928 Platform, 5164 Router, 8110 and 8114 Coherent Aggregation Routers, WaveLogic 5 Nano coherent pluggable optics, and 6500 flexible ROADM optical layer. With Ciena’s Coherent Routing, PFN can flexibly support legacy and new traffic flows and a wide range of use cases including 5G xHaul, cloud and broadband. Moreover, through the use of Segment Routing, PFN is eliminating the operational complexity associated with legacy routing protocols to better focus on customer needs.

The multilayer network will be managed by Ciena’s Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller for unified, automated operations, helping to reduce network operations complexity and costs. And with Adaptive IP™ Apps, PFN gains real-time network monitoring, service monitoring and traffic engineering capabilities to enhance IP service assurance.

To minimize project risk and maximize return on investment, Ciena Services is providing network design, deployment, reconfiguration and migration, and maintenance services, as well as product training.

Says William Tidd, Chief Technical Officer of Peninsula Fiber Network, “Ciena’s Coherent Routing allows us to efficiently scale to meet our customers’ growing bandwidth needs for things like transport, mobile backhaul and commercial broadband—and do so at a lower cost per bit.”

“Plus, for the mission-critical services we provide to public emergency communication sectors, such as NG-911, which require absolute stability and unparalleled uptime, we are assured of utmost network reliability.”

For more information about Peninsula Fiber Network, visit https://www.pfnllc.net/