Nokia partners with IP Telecom to deliver quantum-safe data center connectivity

(Nokia.com) Nokia today announced that it will supply IP Telecom with optical networking equipment to extend the operator’s data center cloud connectivity infrastructure among metro areas in Portugal. This expansion allows IP Telecom to reach business and government end users through a highly secure, encrypted 100Gbps optical data center interconnect (DCI) solution.
Nokia’s network solution includes multiple 100Gbps and 200Gbps wavelengths, protected with encryption, secure against quantum computer attack. The network will also be ready to deliver 400GE services in the future. Another critical capability is line encryption, where each wavelength is encrypted prior to transmission across the fiber optic network. This capability is increasingly essential to business and government network users as data theft has become more common. Encryption and highly secure key management ensures each end customer is protected against unauthorized data tapping in the fiber optic network.
The Nokia solution includes the 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) and 1830 Photonic Service Interconnect – Modular (PSI-M) optical transport platforms and 1830 SMS secure management server. Together, these systems comprise a solution that furthers IP Telecom’s plans for network expansion in Portugal. Particularly unique is the use of the 1830 SMS platform to provide key management of the encrypted optical links. This server provides a centralized, industry-certified, symetric key management solution, delivering immediate protection against highly sophisticated brute-force attacks, including threats from emerging quantum computers. Working in concert with AES-256 encryption engines on the 1830 PSS and 1830 PSI-M, Nokia believes the solution is the strongest in the industry.
Pedro Mendonça, IP & Telcos Director at IP Telecom, said: “Nokia’s modular optical networking solution allows us to easily upgrade each customer’s cloud DCI as needed and at the same time, ease any concerns about data protection. The encryption capabilities are a differentiator for us.”