KDDI Corp, Cisco Systems and Fujitsu have announced the launch of a full-scale integrated metro network that combines the IP layer and optical transmission layer networks for more efficient operations.

The metro network wentfull service from 1 October and features Cisco NCS5500 series routers, which can directly transmit and receive optical signals for WDM, and Fujitsu’s 1FINITY series Open Line System (OLS), which can be connected to other companies’ products through an open interface. KDDI plans to deploy the metro network across Japan by the end of fiscal 2028.

A Fujitsu press release noted that the Japanese telco first introduced this configuration to its metro network in some areas of Japan back in 2021 and that, having confirmed its ‘stable operation’, it will start full-scale operations to accommodate multiple services such as 5G, au HIKARI, and corporate VPN.