Case Study: Alibaba Group achieves scalable, resilient IDC interconnection with Huawei OTN

Huawei OTN Handles Peak AlibabaTraffic

Alibaba Group, China’s largest Internet-based company, needed a more scalable and controllable way to interconnect its many integrated data centers as traffic and service demand grew rapidly and unpredictably. Direct router-to-router fiber connections had become complex and fragile, leased fibers were hard to manage, and service interruptions could slow user access and transactions. Huawei addressed these challenges with an OTN-based interconnection solution using Huawei OSN8800 equipment.

Huawei implemented a large-capacity OTN/DWDM network that connected Alibaba’s headquarters and subsidiaries through carrier-leased fibers, supporting flexible service grooming and capacity expansion while simplifying the network. The solution enabled up to 8 Tbit/s over one pair of fibers, provided 50 ms service switchover with ODUk-level SNCP protection, and improved operations through Huawei’s U2000 management platform and 24/7 support. As a result, Alibaba reduced hard-to-control fiber links and cut network fault rates by more than 60%, while improving service continuity and deployment speed.

Alibaba Group