Consolidated Communications is working with Ciena to upgrade its wireline network to support new and emerging 5G services and applications. Leveraging Ciena’s Adaptive IP™ solution, Consolidated Communications will address the critical need for better, more reliable connectivity as its customers shift to a more virtual environment. The Ciena partnership enables Consolidated to utilize its next-generation network to present new FlexEthernet-based slicing options with unprecedented performance. This allows the Consolidated network to act as a managed service provider to carrier customers using the network. Consolidated provides all the infrastructure a carrier needs without having to provide for the gear itself, allowing speed-to-market options in areas that wireless carriers find hard to reach, along with operational expense savings over the life of the implementation. Consolidated will leverage Ciena’s Adaptive IP™ solutions including the 5164, 5166 and 5170 Routers, along with the 8180 Coherent Networking Platform, to provide standards-based IP connectivity and network slicing that is both open and optimized for 5G xHaul connectivity. Ciena’s Adaptive IP solution will also provide Consolidated Communications with next generation network automation and control by leveraging Ciena’s Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller, the multi-vendor Blue Planet Multi-Domain Service Orchestration (MDSO) and Blue Planet Route Optimization and Analysis (ROA) software. These capabilities will enable Consolidated Communications to make more informed decisions based on data-driven analytics to plan and activate network applications faster, while also making it easier to troubleshoot and resolve IP service issues.