Canarie chooses Nokia for sole IP router provider for research network backbone

Looking to better connect researchers, educators and innovators to each other and to global data, technology and colleagues, Canarie – the high-speed backbone of Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN) – has chosen the Nokia 7750 Service Router as the IP/MPLS platform to support its more than 34,000 km network connecting 13 provincial and territorial networks to each other and to more than 100 NRENs around the world.

NREN is described as an essential collective of infrastructure, tools and people that bolsters Canadian leadership in research, education and innovation. NREN connects over 725 Canadian universities, colleges, CÉGEPs, research hospitals, government research labs, school boards, business incubators and accelerators and other similar facilities around the world.

In Canada, the NREN also connects teaching hospitals, libraries, museums, innovation centres, federal research labs and, in some provinces, K-12 schools. Working globally, the Canadian NERM is part of the Global Research and Education Network, dedicated to the unique needs of research facilities and higher education institutions. These include more than 125 international research and education networks in more than 100 countries around the world.

Canarie and its partner networks work to enable breakthrough research from scientists across disciplines such as high-energy physics, biology, medicine, the environment and astronomy, where, for example, data is gathered on millions of galaxies dating back billions of years.

With a proliferation of instruments–  such as telescopes, sensors and detectors – that gather more data with greater precision, sensitivity and speed, supercomputers must process petabytes of raw data. Additionally, because research collaboration happens across the globe, that data must be transferred rapidly, reliably and securely, while containing costs.

The 7750 SR platform is designed to solve what is regarded as a monumental challenge with 100 Gbps and 400 Gbps services over an IP/MPLS network capable of supporting more than 46 Tbps of capacity. This equates to transmitting about 30 terabytes of data in just 10 minutes, equivalent to sharing 5,000 two-hour Netflix films at 1080p high-definition resolution.

Such massive capacity also makes network automation and DDoS security paramount, which the Nokia 7750 Service Router aims to support with advanced telemetry streams of flow-level data and insights in near-real time.

“We are pleased to work with Nokia as we continually improve the capabilities of Canada’s National Research and Education Network,” said Canarie CTO Mark Wolff. “Nokia networking technology will allow Canarie to better connect Canada’s researchers, educators, and innovators to each other and to global data, technology, and colleagues.”

Vach Kompella, vice-president of IP networks division at Nokia, added: “We are thrilled to work with Canarie and equip the scientific community across Canada and globally with proven IP technology. This more than triples Canarie’s wide-area network capabilities from 100G to 400G, while enhancing their resiliency, security and flexibility.”