Nokia, Nomios Group to triple capacity for GÉANT European research network with new ultra-high-capacity IP backbone network

• 10-year frame agreement pegs Nokia as sole IP critical-network provider for massive backbone network migration led by partner Nomios
• First research network to deploy 800GE routing interfaces, delivering unprecedented capacity to support long-term scientific collaboration amongst world’s top researchers
• GÉANT’s GN5 IP/MPLS routing and switching replacement project triples existing network capacity for interconnections to National Research and Education Networks (NREN) across the world  

15 August 2023

Espoo, Finland, Zoeterwoude, Netherlands, Amsterdam, Netherlands - Nokia, Nomios Group and GÉANT today announced that GÉANT, the collaboration of European National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), will deploy a state-of-the-art IP/MPLS solution from Nokia as part of a 10-year frame agreement led by Nomios Group, a leading European provider of cybersecurity services and solutions. As part of its GN5 IP/MPLS routing and switching replacement project, GÉANT will be the first NREN in the world to deploy 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) routing interfaces, tripling capacity and supercharging its 50,000 km network by establishing a resilient and secure foundation for extreme collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst an international alliance of researchers.

GÉANT interconnects 40 NRENs in 40 European countries, and links 50 million users and institutions to more than 100 additional NRENs in every region of the world. The high-performance IP backbone network will be the foundation for a global coalition of researchers focused on breakthrough research across disciplines such as high-energy physics, biomedicine, radio astronomy, and climate-impacting weather conditions.

Over the past five years, the GÉANT network has experienced 30 percent traffic growth each year and is now carrying more than 7 Petabytes of data daily. This is due, in large part, to the proliferation of instruments such as telescopes, sensors and detectors, which gather more data with greater precision, sensitivity and speed. Supercomputers process vast volumes of data, analyzing and validating findings. Given the high level of collaboration between allied institutions, that data must be transferred rapidly, reliably, securely, and cost-effectively.

The GÉANT GN5 IP/MPLS Routing and Switching Infrastructure Replacement project represents a strategic go-to-market partnership between Nomios and Nokia, bringing together Nomios' extensive experience in designing and implementing robust networking solutions, combined with Nokia's expertise in delivering cutting-edge IP network technology for the world’s most critical networks. Under the terms of the agreement, Nomios and Nokia will undertake the complete replacement and upgrade of GÉANT's existing IP/MPLS routing and switching infrastructure, ensuring enhanced scalability, security, and reliability for GÉANT's extensive network operations. Additionally, Nomios and Nokia will provide comprehensive support and maintenance services to ensure uninterrupted connectivity and smooth operations for GÉANT and its vast user base.

About the technology

The Nokia 7750 Service Router IP/MPLS platform, which leverages in-house developed leading-edge FP5 network processing silicon, is designed to scale in support of the most demanding workloads. The FP5 chipset supports 800G transmission, which triples capacity within the existing footprint and gives GÉANT access to more bandwidth than any other routing technology available today. A layer of network protection is integrated directly into the chipset, ensuring the integrity of research data as security threats – such as DDoS attacks and data breaches – grow in size and severity. Innovations in power consumption deliver a 75 percent reduction in energy use over previous routing chipsets – giving GÉANT the runway to handle ever greater volumes of data while adhering to its sustainability goals.

Bram Peeters, Chief Technology Officer at GÉANT, said: “We are pleased to extend our relationship with Nomios and Nokia by deploying Nokia’s high-performance IP networking technology across our extensive network infrastructure. The solution adds the capabilities we need to address the anticipated exponential growth in data and our security concerns. This project ensures that GÉANT modernizes and maintains the essential world-class network the research and education communities rely on both in Europe and more than 100 countries across every region.”

Mohamed El Haddouchi, Managing Director of Nomios, said: “We are incredibly honored and excited to have been awarded this prestigious tender by GÉANT. This partnership with Nokia allows us to leverage our combined strengths to deliver a state-of-the-art IP/MPLS routing and switching infrastructure, empowering GÉANT to continue pushing the boundaries of research and education connectivity across Europe.”

Stephane Haulbert, Nokia Partner Business Leader in Europe, said, “We are excited to partner with Nomios and be the first to bring 800GE speeds to such bandwidth-intensive and rigorous research environments as GÉANT. This is a real achievement that demonstrates how our leading IP technology delivers the capacity, resilience, and security required for these essential, massive-capacity networks, with the optimized energy consumption the industry needs to meet their sustainability targets. We look forward to being a part of the continued success of GÉANT as an essential network provider advancing research, education, and innovation on a global scale.”

Resources and additional information

Webpage: Nokia 7750 Service Router platform

Webpage: Nokia FP5

Video: Getting to 800 G: Customer success interview with GÉANT and Nomios

About GÉANT

GÉANT is a fundamental element of Europe’s digital infrastructure, delivering the pan-European GÉANT network for scientific excellence, research, education and innovation. Through its integrated catalogue of connectivity, collaboration and identity services, GÉANT provides users with highly reliable, unconstrained access to computing, analysis, storage, applications and other resources, to ensure that Europe remains at the forefront of research.

​Through interconnections with its 40 National Research and Education Network (NREN) partners, the GÉANT network is the largest and most advanced R&E network in the world, connecting over 50 million users at 10,000 institutions across Europe and supporting all scientific disciplines.

About Nomios

Nomios is a leading European provider of cybersecurity and networking solutions and services. Nomios has over 400 certified engineers and experienced architects working from 20 offices across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom. We have 20+ years of experience in securing and connecting critical digital infrastructures for our customers. Nomios supports more than 2,000 leading organizations in various industries, including telecommunications, cloud providers, manufacturing, finance, education, logistics, government and more.

About Nokia

At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.