
Research and education networks
Advance discoveries with networks that deliver future-ready performance.
Connect. Collaborate. Discover.
The research and education network (REN) community is exploring new scientific frontiers to deepen our understanding of the fundamental nature of matter, the universe and natural science. They also are researching ways to address today’s biggest challenges: climate change, clean energy, world hunger, disease, exploration of space, and more. Their work requires the massive collection and analysis of data using:
- State-of-the-art scientific equipment and instrumentation
- Lasers, sensors and devices to measure and collect experimental results
- Supercomputers to process data, model scientific observations, and test hypotheses.
Connecting, sharing and computing this data requires high-performance networks that deliver the limitless capacity and quality needed to advance discovery capabilities.
- What is a REN?
- Research and education networks in action
- Automate RENs with the Nokia Data Center Fabric solution
- Data Center Interconnect for the REN cloud
- REN multi-layer security across IP and optical layers
- Modernize, de-risk and future-proof your REN
- Sustainability: How Nokia solutions can help you achieve your climate goals
- Learn more
What is a Research and Education Network?
Cutting-edge scientific research requires the exponential power of a high-performance, scalable, reliable and secure Research and Education Network (REN) to transmit and exchange petabytes of data daily. Research institutions, universities and governments use RENs to collaborate and exchange learnings, accelerate discovery and foster innovation.
RENs also provide valuable community services, connecting government and public institutions and public and private clouds together. They provide services such as Wi-Fi access and transit to the internet and internet exchanges. They can also provide a host of other trust and identity services, networking, web and technical support.
RENs are vital to the scientific and public community that they serve.
Research and Education Networks in action
ACOnet
CANARIE
CEDIA
ESnet
FCCN
GEANT & Nomios
GRNET
Sikt
Discover Nokia solutions for research and education networks
Nokia IP/Optical networking solutions for RENs
Nokia’s IP/Optical networking solutions are industry leaders in technology, capacity and field-proven performance. The Nokia 7750 Service Router is built with our custom-designed FP5 network processors that deliver up to 432 Tb/s of routing capacity and support 400GE/800GE pluggable coherent optics. The Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch features our latest PSE-6s super coherent optics, which can scale capacity up to 1.2Tbs per wavelength. It can also enable 2.4Tbs superchannels on a single line card to support multiple 400GE and 800GE services or 3X the distance for 800GE services. This reduces the number of optics needed in a practical network and can achieve up to 63% power savings over existing coherent solutions — helping meet cost and sustainability goals
Nokia SR OS simplifies and automates REN operations
The Nokia Service Router Operating System (SR OS) is built with modern data center automation tools and routing capabilities to enable programmable RENs and simplify REN operations. Field-proven, Nokia’s SR OS runs the largest service provider, webscale and IXC IP networks in the world.
It offers the following features:
- The most comprehensive suite of IP, MPLS and segment routing capabilities
- Yang/NETCONF-based model-driven network management for IP network programmability and automation
- High availability by design to meet the most demanding SLA
- Real-time, granular telemetry data for advanced automated network flow optimization
- DDoS protection with Nokia Deepfield security integration
- Open APIs and protocols to integrate with SDN controllers and orchestrators.
Coordinate and automate REN operations across IP and optical layers
Simplify the network management of the IP and optical layers of RENs with Nokia’s Network Services Platform (NSP). The NSP automates, manages and controls the network by providing unified visualization and coordination across the IP and optical layers. When using pluggable coherent 400GE/800GE optics in the 7750 SR router to connect directly to an optical transports system, the NSP’s IP-optical automation tool suite supports intent-based programming and coordinated operations.
The Nokia WaveSuite applications suite for network design, control and operations enables RENs to efficiently plan, operate and control optical networks. With WaveSuite, REN operations can design quickly, monitor network KPIs, and analyze and optimize network capacity. Utilizing WaveSuite health and analytics tools, REN operations can monitor the optical layer health and proactively use NSP to reroute IP traffic around degradations before service disruptions occur.
Automate RENs with Nokia Data Center Fabric solution
The Nokia Data Center Fabric supports hyper-scale computing with a cloud-native architecture that is intent-driven, open, extensible, and resilient. It is ideally suited to meet the evolving needs of the REN data center environment.
The Nokia Data Center Fabric is a scalable high-performance leaf-spine network comprised of both hardware platforms and a software network operating system (NOS). The hardware includes the Nokia 7220 Interconnect Router (IXR) that is a fixed configuration for data center leaf/spine applications, and the modular Nokia 7250 IXR-6e/10e for data center spine and super-spine applications.
The hardware platforms are driven by Nokia SR Linux, a uniquely open, extensible and consumable Network Operating System (NOS), together with the Fabric Services System, which provides an intent-based NetOps toolkit to automate all phases of the data center fabric lifecycle.
Data Center Interconnect for the REN cloud
Nokia’s Optical Data Center Interconnect solution delivers the network scalability, bandwidth capacity, performance and security that RENs need to meet the data-intensive sharing of their research institutions and the broadband needs of their community.
The Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Interconnect-Modular (PSI-M) is a compact optical platform purpose-built to support data center interconnect across metro, regional and long-haul transport. In deploying their own private transport network, the REN community can reduce OPEX costs, compared to leased line services, while retaining complete control of design and operations, enabling faster delivery of new services and applications.
REN multi-layer security across IP and optical layers
Network security is embedded in Nokia networks at every layer. At the optical layer, we offer quantum-safe encryption through strong, symmetric key distribution, available today. We also support emerging quantum key distribution and post-quantum cryptographic algorithms through our highly evolutive encryption blueprints. For IP network security, our 7750 SR powered by FP5 chipsets provides DDoS protection and AnySec (MacSec, IPSec) encryption at line rate. At the network OS layer, our SR OS is battle-tested and hardened, tirelessly blocking attempts at manipulation and unauthorized access. The 7750 SR supports highly granular queuing and partitioning of resources preventing volumetric control plane attacks.
At the tools and application layer, the Nokia Security Gateway (based on the Nokia 7750 SR) provides highly scalable and resilient IPSec encryption. To provide advanced DDoS protection, the 7750 SR and Nokia Deepfield Defender use real-time analytics with intelligence to monitor, recognize and stop DDoS attacks.
Modernize, de-risk and future-proof your REN
REN operations can benefit today from advanced Nokia IP/Optical and data center solutions built with advanced automation tools and applications to provide the agility you need to handle the dynamic workloads of modern networks.
Built on platforms that scale to support seamless expansion, they are also field-proven in large enterprise and webscale networks to provide the business-critical reliability you need when disaster strikes.
Sustainability: How Nokia solutions can help you achieve your climate goals
We are committed to helping deliver a cleaner and more connected world. In 2017 we were among the first 100 companies in the world to commit to reducing our emissions in line with the landmark Paris climate agreement.
- Our science-based climate targets are being recalibrated with the latest 1.5°C warming scenario
- We deliver zero emission products to over 150 customers globally
- We are exploring how to reduce single-use plastics and have a circular practices and products program in place
- Our IP and optical technologies will help make human activities more efficient and more environmentally friendly for the planet.
Learn more about Nokia’s sustainability approach.
Learn more about our IP/Optical solutions
Case study
CANARIE: Empowering research communities to innovate without limits

Application note
Nokia’s optical and IP foundation for research and education networks
Video
Nokia PSE-6s: new frontiers in scale
Case study
ESNet: Advancing collaborative scientific research
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