CtrlS–Ciena Partnership to Build Five Metro Networks, Connecting Nine Data Centres Across India
CtrlS Datacenters has partnered with US-based networking technology company Ciena to develop five high-capacity metro optical networks connecting nine data centres across Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi and Noida. The networks are designed to provide capacity of up to 100 Tb/s, strengthening connectivity between data-centre facilities as demand for AI, cloud computing and hyperscale services accelerates.
The deployment forms part of a broader Managed Optical Fiber Network (MOFN) initiative for a leading hyperscaler. CtrlS is deploying Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme-powered Waveserver platform and 6500 Reconfigurable Line System, while Ciena’s Navigator Network Control Suite will support network automation and service delivery.
Why It Matters
The project highlights a strategic shift in India’s digital infrastructure from simply expanding data-centre capacity to building high-speed interconnections between facilities. AI workloads, cloud platforms and hyperscale computing generate increasingly large volumes of data that must move rapidly and reliably between data centres. Higher-capacity optical networks can therefore improve scalability, operational efficiency and resilience for enterprises and hyperscalers.
For India, the initiative strengthens connectivity across five major technology markets and supports the broader expansion of AI-ready digital infrastructure. CtrlS says it operates data centres across nine Indian markets with more than 370 MW of capacity and a further 4.4 GW of projects at various stages of execution, underlining the scale of the country’s emerging data-centre ecosystem.
Governance Bharat Analysis: The CtrlS–Ciena deployment signals that India’s data-centre growth is increasingly being matched by investment in the optical-network backbone required to move AI and cloud workloads efficiently. The combination of data-centre expansion, hyperscaler demand and high-capacity metro connectivity could become an important layer of India’s next-generation digital infrastructure.
