Ciena and KT build first nationwide 600G transmission route in South Korea

Seoul, South Korea – Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) in collaboration with KT, has successfully completed the construction of South Korea's first nationwide 600G transmission network. This project by the South Korean telecommunications company is an initiative to proactively address the rapidly increasing data traffic related to AI, cloud, and 5G, and to prepare for future services such as 6G.

The transmission network, operational since September 2023, spans over 1,000 km and is capable of transmitting 600G per wavelength in long-distance segments, connecting major cities nationwide from Seoul to Busan, Gwangju, and even Jeju Island.

Leveraging Ciena’s 6500 flexible grid Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) photonic layer with WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) coherent optics, and Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller, the transmission route provides a foundation to handle rapidly increasing bandwidth needs.

Henry Kim, Regional Managing Director of Ciena North Asia, stated: “As pioneers in coherent optical technology, Ciena has been supplying optical transmission equipment capable of delivering 100G and 400G services to domestic telecom operators. The 600G transmission network introduced by KT is expected to provide a groundbreaking, cost-effective solution for transmitting high-capacity traffic throughout South Korea. This, in turn, is anticipated to enhance dedicated circuit services significantly.”