HANOVER, MD – Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) and its partner Kapsch CarrierCom have been selected by ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH to implement a highly-reliable packet network. The network upgrade will enable Germany’s second largest gas transmission operator to introduce new security features to its facilities, improve data processing and address current and forthcoming industry legislation.
It will also enable ONTRAS to implement advanced remote control and security features for the transmission of control and measuring data between its SCADA system (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and peripheral PLC (programmable logic controllers) and measuring systems to control ONTRAS’ natural gas transport in eastern Germany.
Building on its existing wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) network, ONTRAS’ outdated synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) layer will be migrated to an enhanced packet network. With Ciena’s carrier-grade 3942 and 3932 Ethernet packet switches, the upgraded network will deliver bandwidth of 1G (up from 155 Mbit/s) and boasts a sixteen-fold increase in capacity to 10G (up from 622 Mbit/s).
This upgraded network benefits ONTRAS in two ways: by optimizing the processing of data within the gas line network and by improving the data communication between the sites. Critically, the upgraded network allows ONTRAS to implement an advanced security system that supports remote control and video surveillance across all of its 50+ sites.
Kapsch CarrierCom, a global system integrator and supplier of end-to-end telecommunications solutions and a Ciena BizConnect partner, worked with Ciena on this upgrade. The network will be run and managed by GDMcom, a subsidiary of ONTRAS.
“Thanks to our collaboration with Ciena and Kapsch, we will have a more robust and reliable network in place that can better support our business and security needs within our critical infrastructure. The increased bandwidth will allow us to mitigate bottlenecks, which our previous network would have been unable to handle.” Mario Lochmann, ONTRAS Head of IT Management