SURF has selected HPE, Salumanus, and systems integrator Nomios to deliver its next-generation national network, introducing a multi-vendor backbone designed for 800GE, 400GE, and 100GE connectivity across the Netherlands’ research and education community. The phased refresh will replace SURF’s existing infrastructure over the coming years, targeting higher bandwidth, more predictable performance, and greater resilience.
The new architecture is built explicitly to avoid lock-in while scaling capacity and tightening security controls. “This new architecture gives SURF exactly what our members need: higher capacity, predictable performance, stronger security and the freedom to scale without being tied to a single vendor. It allows us to upgrade faster, operate the network more efficiently and ensure that every institution benefits from a platform that is ready for the demands of the next decade,” said Harold Teunissen, Head of Network & Infrastructure Services, SURF.
HPE will supply the backbone and border domains using PTX Series Routers — including PTX10008 and PTX10002-36QDD platforms built on Express 5 silicon for improved power efficiency. These will anchor SURF’s IP peering and the NetherLight global exchange point, with HPE vRR (Networks virtual Route Reflector) deployed to simplify routing control and scaling. The design also folds in Corero’s anti-DDoS capability to protect research and education traffic against large-scale cyberattacks and volumetric events. “HPE is proud to support SURF in building a resilient, high-performance network for the Netherlands’ research and education community. By delivering advanced routing, security, and data privacy solutions, we help empower local institutions to collaborate, innovate, and protect sensitive information”, commented Dobias van Ingen, EMEA CTO HPE Networking.
On the optical side, SURF is standardising on technology from Salumanus, shifting its access network from CWDM to DWDM to enable smoother upgrades of existing links to 100G and beyond. In parallel, the backbone will move to 400G and 800G using IP over DWDM, eliminating the need for separate transponder shelves and cutting power and space requirements in PoPs. SURF will use OpenZR+ coherent transceivers from Salumanus to extend backhaul reach while increasing available bandwidth on each route. “We are proud to support SURF in its mission to deliver world-class connectivity, our OpenZR+ technology and DWDM solutions will help build a network that is smarter, more efficient, and ready to meet the demands of the future,” said Marcin Bala, CTO of Salumanus.
Nomios continues its long-running role as systems integrator, coordinating hardware procurement, lifecycle management, and interoperability across suppliers and network domains. SURF has engaged Nomios to support partner selection and manage the mini-competition process, effectively arbitrating technology choices within the multi-vendor model. “We’re supporting SURF in selecting the right technology mix and keeping the multi-vendor model practical across all network domains. This next step in their architecture gives the research and education community in the Netherlands the bandwidth and predictability they need for the years ahead,” said Mohamed El Haddouchi, Managing Director Nomios.
For the wider research and education community, the project underlines a clear direction of travel: high-capacity IP-over-DWDM backbones, coherent optics, and virtualised control planes are now baseline expectations, not cutting-edge experiments. SURF’s decision to double down on open, multi-vendor technologies sends an equally pointed signal to the market — capacity and resilience are non-negotiable, but so is the freedom to change suppliers without rebuilding the network from scratch.
