To improve network efficiency and meet continued bandwidth demand, Verizon is deploying 100G technology on its U.S. metro network.

The company will gain the same benefits of increased capacity, superior latency and improved scalability in its metro network as it has from deploying 100G technology in its long-haul network.

Verizon is using the Fujitsu FLASHWAVE 9500 platform and the Tellabs 7100 in its metro deployment, which is the "last-mile" connectivity from the network to the customer.

"Metro deployment of 100G technology is the natural progression of Verizon's aggressive deployment of 100G technology in its long-haul network," said Lee Hicks, vice president of Verizon Network Planning. "It's time to gain the same efficiencies in the metro network that we have in the long-haul network. By taking the long view, we're staying ahead of network needs and customer demands as well as preparing for next-generation services."

Driven by increased demand from online video consumption as well as cloud and Ethernet services, the company is implementing 100G technology in its metro and regional networks in the U.S. where traffic demand is highest and will expand deployment as growth occurs.

The benefits of 100G scalability are especially relevant for signal performance, which is improved by using a single 100G wavelength as opposed to aggregating 10-10G wavelengths.

Equally important, implementing 100G in the metro network means additional savings in space and power. Less space and reduced power requirements are needed to support 100G technology, compared with traditional 10G technology, so fewer pieces of equipment are needed to carry the same amount of traffic.

"We see the value today of starting deployment of 100G in the metro, since 100G technology has performance improvements over 10G," said Hicks. "But the cost-per-bit of 100G in the metro currently isn't as cost-effective as it is in the long-haul network so 100G in the metro won't be the default technology for a while."

Verizon has been a leader in 100G technology. Beginning in November 2007, the company successfully completed the industry's first field trial of 100G optical traffic on a live system. Verizon currently has 39,000 miles of 100G technology deployed on its global IP network.