Optical & Fixed Networks

An ambitious Brazilian project that aims to bring broadband connectivity to around a million people in two northern states has now been officially launched.

Gulf Bridge International (GBI), a global cloud, connectivity and content enabler whose multilayer terrestrial and subsea cable meshed network bridges the East to the West through the Middle East, is deploying Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme, powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme, to increase its smart network capacity and performance.

HMN Tech, a provider of turnkey submarine network solutions, has announced that it has completed the marine deployment of the Senegal Horn of Africa Regional Express (SHARE) submarine cable system, with landfalls in both Senegal and Cape Verde.

Swiatlowod Inwesticje (trading under the FiberCo brand), the provider of telecommunication services based in Warsaw, Poland, has started a cooperation with Polsat Plus Group.

Chinese fibre provider Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable (YOFC) is entering the broadband market in four Peruvian regions. It will use digital enablement expert Alepo’s BSS/OSS solution.

A proposed subsea internet cable that would be designed to connect Chile and Australia came closer this week with the appointment by the Chilean government of a partner in the project. 

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), a government-run body with the mission to make the internet accessible to everyone, will add 65 new internet exchanges across India by March 2022, taking the total number of exchanges to 75.

Responding to what is described as a surge in demand for high-quality fibre broadband services, service provider Digicel, which serves consumer and business customers in 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and Pacific, has modernized its FTTx network across the Caribbean Islands.

Telekom Malaysia has signed an agreement with state-owned wholesale operator Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) that will see the latter lease fibre as it seeks to accelerate its nationwide 5G deployment.

Indosat Ooredoo is shuttering its fixed broadband unit Indosat Mega Media (IM2) on the orders of the South Jakarta District Attorney.

Russia’s largest integrated digital company Rostelecom and VEB Ventures, a company of the VEB.RF group signed an agreement on the formation of the Atlas joint venture to create a fundamentally new backbone fiber-optic communication line (FOCL) Transit Europe – Asia of a new generation (TEA NEXT).

Nepal’s Vianet Communications is expanding its high speed fibre network in the west of the country with China Telecom subsidiary CCS (China Communication Service).

CVTelecom (Cabo Verde Telecom) and Angola Cables have signed a joint cooperation agreement to identify synergies to expand connectivity and network capabilities.

Leading Indian operator Bharti Airtel has selected Juniper Networks, which specialises in secure, AI-driven networks, to deliver network upgrades for the expansion of Airtel’s nationwide broadband coverage across India.

Chilean regulator Subtel and the regional government of Ñuble in southern Chile have signed an agreement for a fibre optic and last mile programme.

Mexico’s MCM Telecom has announced a collaboration with Telia Carrier that will see its customers in Querétaro benefit from Telia Carrier’s number one ranked global backbone, AS1299.

Kenya’s main power utility Kenya Power is reportedly planning to start offering internet connectivity.

Ukrainian fibre infrastructure and digital services provider Datagroup has tapped Cisco to modernise its backbone network.

Indonesian converged network operator XL Axiata, says it is using the VIAVI ONMSi Optical Network Management System to increase visibility into its fibre network.

Cable Bahamas (REV) has confirmed that it will upgrade its legacy HFC cable infrastructure with fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technology on the Bahamas’ most populous island of New Providence.

Telecom Egypt has deployed coherent optical technology from Ciena to maximise capacity along the Mediterranean segment of its Middle East North Africa (MENA) submarine cable system and Egypt’s mesh network.

Indonesian fixed broadband provider Moratelindo has expanded its capacity in what are called key network sections with the help of Ribbon Optical Solutions.

T-Mobile Polska, one of the largest mobile operators in Poland, has launched a long-haul 400 Gigabit Ethernet (400GbE) service.

Moov Africa Chad is aiming to deploy fibre infrastructure in the capital of N’Djamena as it seeks to extend its mobile network in the face of escalating demand.

Serbian mobile network operator Telenor Serbia has entered the fixed market with the launch of its Hipernet, a new household service that includes optical internet, digital television service.

Paratus Namibia, part of Pan-African telecommunications company Paratus, has been chosen by Ongos Connect, a company working with Ongos Valley, Namibia’s first smart city development, to bring fibre connectivity to over 11,000 new residents in the new city.

Sudan’s three main operators have received a court order to restore internet services after they shuttered access following a military coup last month.

The New Zealand-headquartered Hawaiki Submarine Cable Limited Partnership is back in the news with the announcement of the launch of the Hawaiki Nui submarine cable system, which it calls the first and largest spatial division multiplexing (SDM) cable linking South-east Asia, Australasia and North America.

A province in the west of Argentina is about to receive a major boost to its fibre optic provision after the signing of a new contract.

STC is deploying Infinera’s ICE6 800G-capable technology on its submarine cable networks to enable new regional and international connectivity services and infrastructure development.

The regular issues facing Vietnam’s undersea cable connections since 2017 have continued long into 2021. Not long ago, the Asia America Gateway (AAG) undersea cable broke down yet again. This is apparently the third time the cable has been broken this year.

With the continued drop in fixed voice service revenue failing to offset the steady growth in fixed broadband service revenues, the total fixed communications services revenue in Thailand is set to decline from US$5.0bn in 2021 to US$4.5bn in 2026.

Technology group Liquid Intelligent Technologies and telecommunications carrier Orange have announced a new partnership to leverage each other's existing networks in Africa, allowing them, as they put it, even greater access and opportunity to build their businesses throughout the continent.