Recent results from the National Transparent Optical Network (NTON)

The National Transparent Optical Network (NTON) is co-funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Transparent Optical Network Consortium (NTONC). Members of the NTONC include Nortel Networks, GST Telecommunications, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL), Sprint Communications and the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). NTON provides a 10+ Gb/s open research platform for Next Generation Internet (NGI) trials. NTON is a 2000 km 10-20 Gb/s wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) network deployed using in-place commercial fiber. NTON links reach government, university and private sector labs and provide the ability to interface with most of the broadband research networks in the US. Planned interchange networks are: ATDnet, HSCC, DREN, NREN, ESnet, vBNS, SVTT, Abilene, Canarie, CalREN, and others. NTON will simultaneously support device design R&D, network R&D and testing of high bandwidth enabled applications. NTON provides direct access to nearly all of the major universities on the West Coast at data rates up to, and potentially beyond, 2.5 Gb/s. NTON will also connect major West Coast supercomputer sites, digital libraries, high energy physics labs and medical research institutions.