By 2040, Tennessee’s growing population is projected to reach approximately 8 million, according to the Tennessee State Data Center. Middle-mile broadband provider IRIS Networks is upgrading its network infrastructure to support and accelerate connectivity for this population surge.
“With the pandemic, we saw a steady increase in bandwidth demands from our increasingly digital customer base," said Chris Harris, Vice President of Engineering and Operations at IRIS Networks. "These remote workers expect connectivity to be on-demand and in real-time.”
Before the pandemic, IRIS Networks utilized approximately 60% of its network capacity. Within 18 months, the network was near full capacity. As bandwidth demand rapidly outpaced its legacy solutions, IRIS Networks sought a reliable alternative to manage the increasing load and diverse connectivity requirements.
Collaborating with Ciena Services
Leveraging the five-step network transformation process and the Network Transformation Suite of tools and customizable software capabilities, the Ciena Services team helped IRIS Networks identify its priorities and goals and created a deployment and migration plan that ensured minimal disruption to its live network.
The Ciena Services team audited IRIS Networks' 2,400 existing network services, extracting and synthesizing all relevant data. Using the data from this audit, Ciena Services and IRIS Networks developed a step-by-step circuit plan, providing a clear blueprint for migrating circuits one at a time.
IRIS Networks will implement the deployment in three phases, beginning with a 311-mile fiber route from Nashville to Atlanta. This deployment utilizes Ciena’s 6500 powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme on its network, with Navigator Network Control Suite providing a centralized viewpoint to simplify and optimize the optical network.
Ciena Services – A Competitive Advantage
IRIS Networks' small team of network engineers manages the day-to-day operations and maintenance, connecting over 250 communities with its 5,000-mile fiber network. With support from a remote Ciena Services engineer, IRIS Networks was able to seamlessly manage the network upgrade while also addressing daily network needs. In approximately three weeks, IRIS Networks and Ciena Services deployed new hardware and fiber and completed testing for nine sites.
“This is our fourth time rebuilding our network, and we’ve always done everything in-house, but we’re re-evaluating our options. As we continue to scale our network operations and services, Ciena is an instrumental partner, not only with its innovative technologies, but with its field-proven professional Services team. Ciena Services is more than an extra pair of hands,” said Harris.
The Nashville to Atlanta route, completed in late December 2023, supports future last-mile projects. It also catalyzes and encourages private-sector broadband investment.
Harris concluded: “Working with Ciena Services has been transformational and has had an immediate impact in reducing our time to turn on new services by more than 50%. What took me 120 days to turn up, I can now do it in 30 to 45 days. That is a clear advantage in today’s on-demand world.”