11:45 AM -- Russian carrier Rostelecom is hedging its bets as it migrates to 100Gbit/s systems on its major transport routes.

A few weeks back, Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) announced it is supplying its 1830 Photonic Service Switch for deployment on the operator's network that stretches down into the Middle East. (See Rostelecom Does 100G With AlcaLu.)

Now comes news that Rostelecom has put Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. 's 100Gbit/s gear through its paces on a 1,000-kilometer-plus stretch of live network running east to Samara. (See Rostelecom Trials Huawei's Coherent 100G.)

The news comes shortly after Nokia Networks threw down the gauntlet to its single-carrier 100Gbit/s rivals. (See NSN Makes Optical Advances.)

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading