U.S. network operator Windstream announced today Ciena's coherent optics will power its National Converged Optical Network (NCON). Once complete, the network will connect Windstream's tier one, two, and three markets to major U.S. data centers, cable landing stations, and cross-border gateways.

"Windstream will build an ultra-high capacity, intelligent network that will interoperate with our existing multi-vendor topology,” said Buddy Bayer, chief network officer at Windstream, in a statement. He added that Ciena was "the best partner" to support this effort.

Under the deal, Windstream will deploy Ciena's Waveserver 5 compact modular platform. The platform is based on the optical vendor's WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optics, which is capable of 800 Gb/s line speeds across short spans. At longer distances, the technology can be tuned to provide between 100 Gb/s and 400 Gb/s line speeds depending on the bandwidth and capacity requirements.

Windstream will also use Ciena's 6500 reconfigurable line system. According to Ciena, the system will enable Windstream to deploy on both the C- and L-band, effectively doubling the spectral efficiency of the network.

Finally, Windstream's National Converged Optical Network will take advantage of Ciena's Liquid Spectrum predictive analytics platform to glean real-time insights into network efficiency.

“Windstream’s decision to partner with us again and build a world-class network that will span its entire U.S. footprint using our high-performance coherent optics and leading automation software not only demonstrates their industry leadership but will help them deliver differentiated and innovative services while adapting to the disruptions and demands created by the digital economy,” said Jason Phipps, SVP of global sales and marketing at Ciena, in a statement.

Windstream plans to start deploying and turning up traffic on the new network in the third quarter of 2020.

Today's announcement comes after months of trials and deployments with various optical vendors including Infinera.

In June, Windstream announced the successful trial of an 800 Gb/s single-wave transmission over 730 kilometers and a 700 Gb/s transmission over 1,460 kilometers using Infinera's coherent optics.

The trial was conducted on a stretch of Windstream’s network between San Diego and Phoenix using Infinera’s Infinite Capacity Engine 6 (ICE6)-equipped Groove platform and standard G.652-compliant SMF-28 optical fiber.

Whether Windstream, which has traditionally utilized infrastructure from multiple vendors across its network, will deploy Infinera's 800 Gb/s capable optics on portions of its network remains unclear.

Windstream will use Nokia's 400 Gb/s-capable 7750 service router to boost its IP network capacity. Nokia's 7750 service routers offer port densities of 10 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s with support for 400 Gb/s as customer demand grows.

Windstream's network isn't the only thing getting restructured. In February, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The network operator expects to emerge from bankruptcy late this summer as a privately held company.

In addition to reducing its debt by more than $4 billion, Windstream plans to expand 1 Gb/s internet service in rural American while expanding its SD-WAN and unified communications-as-a-service offerings.