Elisa Oyj Launches 800ZR Coherent Services With Juniper Networks

Juniper Networks and Finnish telecom and digital service provider Elisa Oyj have announced the deployment of 800Gbps Ethernet services over 800ZR coherent transceivers. Elisa is deploying 800Gbps technology within its backbone network, enhancing the development of mobile and optical fiber networks in Finland. The first deployment is in the Helsinki metropolitan area’s backbone network, using Juniper Networks™ PTX Series Routers and an early release of Juniper’s JCO800 coherent optics. Developing and future-proofing the backbone network is crucial, as it lays the foundation for expanding a more sustainable, robust, scalable and capable mobile and optical fiber network throughout Finland.

Elisa provides a range of digital services, including mobile and fixed network connections, information and communications technology (ICT) and online services. It serves both consumer and corporate customers, with operations primarily in Finland and Estonia, while expanding its digital services globally. As a market leader in Finland, Elisa is known for its innovation in 5G and digital solutions and is planning to develop its fiber network capacity towards 100G speeds in the upcoming years.

By pioneering 800G coherent deployments, Elisa will significantly increase the capacity of individual backbone fiber. A robust backbone network will allow Elisa to meet customers’ rising data demands for several years to come. The backbone network is also crucial to Finland’s access to secure transport, linking the country to international networks. It is essential for maintaining reliable access to global communication and data exchange channels and ensures that critical digital services, information flows and cross-border data exchanges remain stable and resilient.

“Elisa is delighted to collaborate with Juniper to prepare Elisa’s backbone network to meet the growing needs of its customers, now and in the future. This 800G coherent backbone connection allows us to increase the speeds and capacity of our optical fibre and mobile networks. As AI and cloudification progress, more and more data will be transferred between data centres, requiring us to continuously develop our backbone network.”
– Kalle Lehtinen, Chief Technology Officer, Elisa Oyj

“Juniper is proud to serve Elisa Oyj with our innovative 800G coherent CORA solutions as they lead the way to a truly notable and exciting achievement, the world’s first 800Gbps coherent ZR service deployment. This milestone underscores our shared commitment to advance digital infrastructure throughout the world, while ensuring a robust, sustainable and future-proof network for Finland’s expanding data demands and exacting user expectations.”
– Steffen Gienger, Vice President, Service Provider, EMEA, Juniper Networks