KT, KISTI Build 400 Gbps Korea-U.S. International Research Network

KT and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) announced on the 16th the launch of a single 400 Gbps Korea-U.S. international dedicated line. The line is the international backbone of the national science and technology research network operated by KISTI.

The line runs from KISTI's main office in Daejeon to Chicago in the United States. Chicago is a hub where research networks in North America and Europe are concentrated.

With this launch, the bandwidth of the national science and technology research network on the Korea-U.S. route has expanded fourfold. A backbone network is a core communications network that connects multiple smaller networks and transmits large volumes of data at high speed.

Recently, data-intensive research in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and astronomy and space science has been spreading. As a result, demand for data exchange between countries is also surging.

Amid this trend, time delays and bandwidth constraints in the transmission of large-scale research data have emerged as challenges to be addressed. The launch by KT and KISTI came against this backdrop.

KT said the newly launched 400 Gbps line will enable high-speed transmission of large-scale research data, strengthen the global connectivity of the national research network, and expand support for international joint research. It also said the launch of the 400 Gbps line could increase the usability of AI, big science and converged research data.

To this end, the two organizations jointly completed a technical project to secure transmission stability on the 400 Gbps ultra-long-haul international Korea-U.S. route. They then completed construction of the subsea cable section, completed stability verification, and built an environment for linkage with Chicago. This has secured the operational foundation for an ultra-high-speed, ultra-large-capacity research network to be used in actual research settings.

KT operates APG, APCN-2, NCP, TPE and KJCN, and the total number of subsea cable systems it operates is five. These five include three in Asia and two in North America, and KT's operating scale accounts for more than half of the subsea cables operated in South Korea. KT said it has expanded and built a national science and technology research network line on NCP, the subsea cable directly connecting South Korea and the United States, which can minimize latency on international routes and reduce detour risks.

KT has international network infrastructure based on multiple subsea cables and dual landing stations, and also supports the operation of international research networks. A landing station is a gateway where subsea cables connect to land-based communications networks, and KT operates landing stations in a dual structure in Busan and Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. Under this structure, if a network problem occurs in a specific section, alternate routes can be used, and international traffic can also be handled continuously through those routes.

KT said it plans to continue strengthening its international network competitiveness alongside the expansion of the national science and technology research network. The aim is to respond to traffic demand driven by the spread of services in the AI era and the increase in global data exchange. To that end, it plans to expand subsea cable capacity and gradually diversify landing stations. The goal is to broaden the foundation for global data exchange among domestic and foreign companies and research institutions.

Source: IT DAILY · Seong Won-young
Original: https://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=241655

References

• https://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=241655