Research & Innovation

HEAnet, Ireland’s National Education and Research Network, has been enhanced with a new national all-optical transmission network installed and commissioned by Coriant, a global supplier of optical transport solutions.

The purpose of HEAnet is to provide essential ICT and e-infrastructure services to all levels of Irish education systems, connecting universities, institutes of technology and other higher-education institutions, as well as research organisations and all primary and post-primary schools across Ireland. Its clients include some 200,000 third-level students and associated staff, as well as about 800,000 first and second-level students and associated staff across the country.

This new optical network provides increased network capacity and enhanced network resiliency to satisfy HEAnet clients’ ever-increasing data requirements. “Enhancing our network resilience enables us to meet the current and future critical needs of our clients,” said John Boland, HEAnet chief executive.

The upgrade provides HEAnet with a new level of optical layer efficiency, scalability, reliability and automation that will improve its service to its customer base, according Coriant president and CEO Herbert Merz.

In addition to deployment of the network, Coriant will provide maintenance and support services for the infrastructure for the next five years.