The operator of a pan-European data network has deployed high-speed optical networking gear, to achieve trip times of 4.22 thousandths of a second between London and Frankfurt and 2.65 milliseconds between Paris and Brussels.

Colt, which operates a 25,000-kilometer network spanning 13 countries, said it had installed low-latency optical networking systems from Infinera, which uses "native" wavelengths to send data as highly refined colors of light. The Infinera system also uses a variety of data and storage protocols designed to speed up delivery of messages.

Infinera's Digital Optical Networks architecture also allows for end-to-end management of the network and the provisioning of services quickly with a minimum of human intervention. The architecture also allows for establishing virtual slices of bandwidth.

"When it comes to succeeding in the financial markets, technology -- including the underpinning network -- is what drives competitive advantage. We've chosen Infinera for our next generation network, and our new low-latency networks between major financial centers, to give our customers the performance, quality and reliability they expect," said Terry Quigley, head of Industry Practices at Colt.

Infinera, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., said it ranked second worldwide in long-haul optical networking revenue in the first quarter of 2010, citing analyst reports. In the second quarter, Infinera posted revenue of $111 million, a 62 percent increase over the year-earlier figure.