French Carrier Covage Relies on Adva Optical WDM Platform

Developing its metro network infrastructure to more ably connect customers to its national backbone, French carrier Covage has deployed the ADVA FSP 3000 from ADVA Optical Networking throughout numerous metropolitan regions in France.

An ‘operator of operators’, Covage creates and supports the delivery of Internet Protocol (IP) services to administrative and business customers through a network of international, national, regional and local service providers. With an emphasis on providing Storage Area Network (SAN) connectivity and managed Ethernet services to a growing customer base in France, Covage required a metro network that enabled the carrier to deploy manageable, flexible solutions that could be easily expanded based on customer need.

“Covage is committed to delivering the best quality of guaranteed high-bandwidth services to its customers,” stated Vincent Couarraze, director for Covage Networks. “We chose ADVA Optical Networking from several other suppliers because it offers the most flexible and reliable metro WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) solution on the market. Choosing ADVA Optical Networking was a strategic choice, considering the reputation and experience the company has in SAN interconnection of storage devices. ADVA Optical Networking’s carrier-class network management tool was also a deciding factor for us.”

France is one of the most advanced networking countries in Europe, with a government-backed mandate to provide ubiquitous broadband access to residents and businesses. Covage is currently completing CWDM point-to-point links in four regions of France in an effort to bring guaranteed high-capacity services to more end users. The carrier is offering 1Gbit/s Ethernet and storage services, with the goal to quickly upgrade to 10Gbit/s speeds.

As a complement to its telecom operator activity, Covage has invested in hosting solutions in the west of France. Today, Covage supplies datacenter and telecom solutions in the cities of Caen and Nantes. The company is also heavily involved with the southern highway authority (ASF, Autoroutes du Sud de la France) in a nationwide project to secure France’s highways. Covage plays a critical role in ensuring the French highway system is expertly managed and contributes to the national goal of an advanced broadband society.

“The ADVA FSP 3000 helps Covage achieve the extensive requirements of its metro platform,” confirmed Fabrice Jean, vice president of sales, Western Europe and Nordics for ADVA Optical Networking. “Covage is a fast-moving carrier with a broad agenda to bring more capacity to a bandwidth-hungry population of more than 4.5 million in the communities it serves. It needed a reliable partner to support its innovative metro offering with a powerful yet cost-effective solution. We are pleased to deliver on these ambitious requirements.”

The FSP 3000 is a scalable WDM system specifically designed for service providers and large enterprises that require a flexible, cost-effective system that will multiplex, transport and protect high-speed data, storage, voice and video applications. Service providers deploy the FSP 3000 to maximize the bandwidth and service flexibility of their access, metro core and regional networks, while supporting new revenue opportunities for high-speed Ethernet and SAN services.

Covage currently has interests in 13 local networks that reach 2,372 communities with a population of 5.2 million people, with almost 158,000 businesses of all sizes. Covage is currently pursuing more than 30 network opportunities, with more expected in the future. For each project, Covage provides the construction, project management, infrastructure and knowledge of the France marketplace, network design, equipment selection and equipment installation and operates all of the networks that provide active IP services. The concessions hereinabove bring Real Broadband connectivity to a diverse business and residential customer base.

Covage has deployed a national transmission network that utilizes 3,700 kilometers dark fibre infrastructure to create a ringed network from Arras in northern France to Montpellier in the south of France. This project connects Covage’s existing DSPs to each other and to the main telecom carrier hotels in Paris.