CapeNet has selected Ciena Corp (News - Alert). and Integration Partners, a secure network communications integrator and Ciena BizConnect partner, to provide coherent optical transport and Carrier Ethernet solutions for the 350-mile fiber optic OpenCape Network.

Stephen B. Alexander, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Ciena, said the OpenCape project joins an expanding list of federally-funded BTOP grant recipients that have selected Ciena to power the future of broadband in the United States.

The OpenCape Network is funded through a Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) infrastructure grant as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Currently, it’s being constructed in southeastern Massachusetts and on Cape Cod.

Once completed, the network is expected to provide high-speed broadband connectivity to approximately 70 community anchor institutions, including 30 libraries, five colleges, 15 town network hubs, and six research institutions.

Company officials said that throughout its entire footprint the network offers further opportunities to hundreds of additional anchor institutions and nearly 62,000 businesses.

Shannon Silvus, chief technology officer and vice president for operations at CapeNet, noted that demand for high-bandwidth services is increasing at exponential rates and the Cape region is no exception.

“CapeNet is building a fiber optic network which will serve the region’s communication needs for decades to come,” Silvus said.

In order to increase the network bandwidth from 10G to 100G and beyond, Ciena’s coherent optical processing is laying the foundation. Silvus said that Ciena is a strategic supplier with proven leadership in optical transport technology.

Ciena is the first company to develop coherent 40G and 100G solutions that are deployable in backbone networks across the globe, Silvus said, adding that Ciena optical and Carrier Ethernet solutions will enable CapeNet to build scalable network architecture with the ability to increase capacity as needed.

 “Ciena have been chosen by CapeNet to bring the benefits of resilient, scalable, next-generation optical transport to this under-served region,” Alexander said.

Alexander said that Ciena’s WaveLogic Coherent Optical Processors vastly expand capacity without disrupting existing networks, providing simple and cost-effective upgrades from 10G to 40G or 100G, with a clear path to 400G.

As the backbone of the network providing the ultra-high bandwidth service, CapeNet is using Ciena’s 100G coherent optical transport solution on Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform.

Additionally to CapeNet customers, Ciena’s 5150 and 3916 Carrier Ethernet Solutions (CES (News - Alert)) are expected to provide aggregation and delivery of reliable broadband services. Plus, the company is also leveraging Ciena’s OneControl network management solution.

CapeNet is managing construction of the OpenCape Network, which is expected to get completed by January, 2013.

Earlier last month, OpenCape Corporation, a non-profit corporation that provides a regional communications network on Cape Cod and the Islands, contracted CapeNet to design, build and operated the OpenCape network.