Sydney, Australia, June 3, 2025 — AARNet (Australia’s Academic and Research Network) has worked with Cisco to achieve a remarkable milestone with the successful completion of a field trial showcasing the capabilities of cutting-edge 400 Gigabit per second (Gbps) Ultra Long Haul (ULH) pluggable coherent optics technology. Conducted over an incredible distance of 4,600 kilometres on the Indigo Central subsea cable system, which connects Sydney and Perth, this achievement heralds a new era in long-haul optical networking.

Completed in late May 2025, the trial represents a transformative step forward for Australia’s research and education network infrastructure. By transmitting a 400Gbps wavelength using Cisco’s NCS 1014 3.2 Terabit per second (Tbps) WDM line card and Acacia’s QSFP-DD ULH coherent pluggable optic modules, AARNet and Cisco have advanced what is possible in subsea communication. This trial not only demonstrated the ability to transmit high-speed data over existing submarine cables but also highlighted the technology’s capacity to enhance network efficiency. By optimising the use of available space and power at the endpoints of subsea links, the solution ensures that greater capacity can be achieved without compromising operational performance, reducing power consumption and increasing density to 6.4Tbps per rack unit.

During the trial, the 400Gbps wavelength operated at 75 Gigabaud (GBaud), showcasing the ability to transmit extremely high-speed data efficiently over existing optical infrastructure. This approach enables better use of the available space and power at the end points of the subsea link without compromising overall capacity of the submarine cable. A major highlight of this trial was the successful operation of this new wavelength in parallel with live traffic on the Indigo Central cable, confirming the technology is ready for immediate deployment and can seamlessly integrate with existing services. The system maintained reliable, error-free performance for over 24 hours, indicating sufficient operational margins for live network deployment.

"This successful trial with Cisco is a fantastic achievement and underscores AARNet's commitment to providing Australia's research and education sector with leading-edge network capabilities. We are proud to partner with Cisco in pushing the boundaries of optical networking, and the results of this trial give us a lot of confidence in the future deployment of this technology across the AARNet network," said Chris Hancock AM, CEO at AARNet.

"We are thrilled with the results of this field trial with AARNet. Successfully demonstrating our 400Gbps ULH coherent pluggable optics over the Indigo Central cable reflects the thoughtful innovation and technical capability built into this technology," said Lorenzo Ghioni, Sr. Director, Product Management at Cisco. “The longstanding collaboration with AARNet has been invaluable, and we look forward to seeing how Cisco technology can continue to contribute to the success of Australia’s cross-institutional data-intensive research.”

The Indigo subsea cable system is a vital link connecting Australia to Southeast Asia, with the Indigo Central segment providing a direct optical path between Sydney and Perth. The successful trial of this technology unlocks a host of new opportunities for AARNet to enhance its national network backbone and support a wide range of scientific instruments, high-performance computing (HPC) facilities, and collaborative research platforms while continuing to improve the efficiency of its infrastructure.

About AARNet

AARNet (Australia’s Academic and Research Network) is the national research and education network provider, delivering high-performance telecommunications infrastructure, cyber security, and collaboration services to support Australia’s research, education, training, and innovation sectors. Owned by the Australian universities and CSIRO, AARNet Pty Ltd and its subsidiaries deliver services that extend and evolve the organisation’s mission. AARNet has been connecting Australia’s knowledge institutions for more than 30 years. The network interconnects with global research and education networks, enabling participation in data-intensive science and international collaboration at scale.

Learn more: www.aarnet.edu.au
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Media Contact

Daniel Harris
AARNet Marketing and Communications Specialist
media@aarnet.edu.au