The telecommunications provider TIM, which is owned by Telecom Italia, is upgrading the IP layer of its network in Italy with help from Alcatel-Lucent, and it will also deploy the vendor’s carrier-grade, software-defined networking (SDN)-based Network Services Platform.

The deal, announced today, centers on Alcatel-Lucent transforming TIM's national backbone by deploying its 7950 Extensible Routing System (XRS) IP core router technology alongside its previously provided 100-Gb/s optical networking technology. The XRS will be completely implemented by the end of 2016.

TIM will also use Alcatel-Lucent’s Network Services Platform (NSP). The NSP spans the optical and IP layers and was developed specifically for application in the carrier wide area network (WAN). As explained to SDxCentral earlier this year, NSP is focused on optimizing IP and optical networks. The software enables network circuits to automatically make adjustments based on service demands.

In addition to its multilayer functionality, NSP is designed for multivendor networks.

Integrating the optical and IP layers of networks (or at least allowing them to communicate better with each other) has been in the news quite a lot lately, making it seem like a trend.

Sedona Systems says it is mapping the IP and optical layers for 95 percent of all fixed-line and mobile networks worldwide, working with the biggest names in networking, including Alcatel-Lucent.

NTT seems to be doing similar work, but it calls it “end-to-end network connection-check functions.” The new functions enable network connection quality to be visualized on multiple WANs.