backbone, a global network

The EBN (European Backbone Network) is a fibre optic network that connects the major cities of Europe (33 cities at the end of 2009, including 6 in France) as well as France Telecom’s partners and subsidiaries.

Thanks to wavelength multiplexing, each line of the EBN offers multiple capacity to carry unit flows of 2.5 or 10 Gbps.
The EBN provides connections of 45 Mbps to 10 Gbps, with 99.95% availability and centralized network management, plus 24-hour a day customer service.

End of 2010, the European Express Network (EEN) links 23 of the largest European cities, including 7 in France, by interconnecting with networks of subsidiaries and partners of France Telecom-Orange. The EEN has replaced the European backbone EBN (European Backbone Network) at its most dynamic areas (characterized by particularly high rates, a significant traffic growth and high stress reactivity) and especially towards Germany, Poland , Spain, and Great Britain.
This network will be fully “transparent” starting in 2010, meaning that it will enable end-to-end transmission and direct management of wavelengths without electrical regeneration.
This technology will make it possible to move to 100 Gbps per wavelength depending on standardization progress and changes in needs.

Submarine cables are used to create broadband arteries that provide the Group with the high performance tools necessary to meet growing customer demands. More specifically, the development of such networks plays an important role in Orange’s ambition to democratize internet access (narrowband and broadband) in Africa, where the Group is present in around 20 countries. Focus on the latest submarine cables being laid…