BEIJING, Dec. 31 -- China's first coherent 100G network was officially operational Tuesday, as the expanded education and research network (CERNET) passed an acceptance check .

CERNET,the national academic computer network, can now run 100G signals, while most backbone networks are still restricted to 10G.

The network extends over 21,700 km, linking 34 cities in 29 provinces, and providing a minimum 1G access for more than 2,000 universities and research institutes. About 500 of them will have a minimum of 10G access, according to CERNET sources. All equipment used was developed and made in China.

The network is not only updated with greater capacity but also has better security and management, according to Prof. Wu Jianping, of the Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, head of the CERNET expert panel.