ONTRAS upgrades network with Ciena and Kapsch

Ciena 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.

Key Facts:

• Building on its existing wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) network, ONTRAS’ outdated synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) layer will be migrated to an enhanced packet network.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 optimising 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.

Executive Comments:

­Mario Lochmann, ONTRAS Head of IT Management: “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.”

Eugen Gebhard, Regional Director DACH and Central Europe, Ciena: “As our recent research has shown, German organisations like ONTRAS are taking proactive steps to upgrade their network infrastructure to support high-bandwidth applications and growing bandwidth demands. Ciena’s industry-leading packet networking solutions equip providers with greater agility and the ability to improve their competitive advantage.”
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Wolfgang Matschke, General Manager, Kapsch Carrier Solutions GmbH: “ONTRAS has been a fantastic client to work with and thanks to our excellent relationship with Ciena, we were able to implement the latest network technology and complete this project within the agreed time frame. The new network ticks all the boxes and will meet business needs and deliver high performance for ONTRAS in the years to come.”