London – July 7, 2026 – RETN, the leading independent global network service provider, today announces that 50% of its IP/MPLS traffic is now carried over 400G coherent pluggable (ZR/ZR+) infrastructure.
The milestone reflects the growing operational use of coherent pluggable technology following RETN’s large-scale deployment of 400G coherent optics across its Pan-Eurasian backbone in 2025. That programme introduced an IP-over-DWDM (IPoDWDM) architecture across key long-haul routes.
The latest development marks the transition of this architecture from deployment into production-scale traffic carriage across upgraded segments of RETN-owned backbone infrastructure.
From deployment to live network adoption
In 2025, RETN completed one of the industry’s most extensive deployments of 400G coherent pluggable optics, with hundreds of modules operating across backbone links ranging from 300 to 950 kilometres.
The rollout established a standardised IPoDWDM architecture designed to simplify network design, improve scalability, and increase energy efficiency across core infrastructure.
“Coherent pluggable technology is now supporting production IP/MPLS traffic at scale. This reflects a wider shift in the industry away from strictly layered transport models towards more integrated IP-over-DWDM architectures in live backbone environments,” said Tony O’Sullivan, CEO of RETN.
Building a coherent-native backbone
The growing use of ZR+/coherent pluggable-based transport continues to support a more integrated approach between IP and optical layers, enabling:
· Reduced network complexity through IP and optical integration
· Improved energy efficiency per bit transported
· Greater flexibility in scaling high-capacity services
· Streamlined backbone architecture across long-haul routes
RETN will continue to expand its coherent-enabled infrastructure across additional backbone segments, with all new backbone routes now being built on coherent pluggable-based IPoDWDM architecture as the default design standard going forward.
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