Optical & Fixed Networks

Telecom Fiji Limited (TFL) is upgrading parts of its fibre network as part of a broader investment plan.

BringCom Incorporated, a provider of connectivity solutions in Africa, has announced the completion of its pan-African fibre ring network.

Sao Tome and Principe’s incumbent provider CST (Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicacoes) has announced the expansion of its fibre optic network to the north of the island nation.

Nokia and Saudi operator Mobily have extended their managed services partnership by signing a three-year agreement under which Nokia will manage and maintain Mobily’s radio and transport network in Riyadh and other regions.

Colombia could see a major boost to fixed access with a new agreement that, it is claimed, will provide the capital Bogotá with the largest fibre optic network coverage for fibre to the home (FTTH) in Latin America.

The construction of Africa-1, a new subsea telecom system to connect Africa, the Middle East and Europe, is now under way.

Brazilian enterprise operator Softdados has deployed Infinera’s GX Series Compact Modular Platform and XTM Series across its metro and long-haul networks to increase network capacity to meet the growing needs of internet service providers (ISPs) in Brazil.

Asia Consultancy Group (ACG), a leading independent private company providing telecommunications infrastructure and managed and engineering services across Afghanistan, has signed a multi-year contract with Indian networking products company Tejas Networks.

There have been some significant recent announcements about international cooperation – actual or potential – between Saudi Arabia and a number of European countries involving digital technology.

Cable technology supplier Nexans opened a new plant in Morocco for its telecoms business unit, a move to bolster its industrial capabilities to cater to the European and North African markets.

Vogel Telecom has partnered with Ciena to deploy Sao Paulo’s first 800G optical network.

IT and network technologies giant NEC Corporation has signed a contract for a cable project involving Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean.

Plans to increase fibre production are often noteworthy, but the announcement by HFCL Limited, one of India's largest optic fibre manufacturers, that it is planning to increase fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) cable production by 33 percent at its Hyderabad facility could be very significant.

A pilot project, recently launched in Uganda, aims to demonstrate more cost-efficient ways in which both electricity and ICT can be brought to rural areas. It comes at a time of renewed growth for the country’s telecoms sector.

A new fibre optic deployment in Bolivia has brought broadband connectivity to residents of the highest city in the world.

Telecom Egypt, Egypt’s first integrated telecom operator and one of the largest subsea cable operators in the region, has announced an agreement with Google.

CETIN, which owns and operates the largest electronic communications network in the Czech Republic, covering 99.6 percent of the population, has entered into a co-investment agreement with T-Mobile on the deployment of an FTTH network.

The US government warned Pacific island nations that discounted subsea cables from Chinese companies pose a security threat, as an international project is underway in the region.

NEC Corporation India announced the completion of its flagship optical submarine cable system between Chennai and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (A&N Islands) for state-owned Indian operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

Beeline Kazakhstan has announced that it is conducting a fixed-wireless access (FWA) trial in the city of Makinsk.

The Maldives-Sri Lanka Cable (MSC) has successfully landed in the Maldives, connecting the coastal Sri Lankan capital Colombo to Hulhumalé.

Liquid Telecom is expanding fibre access through Botswana’s Lobatse border to Gaborone, an undertaking that, it says, will dramatically increase connectivity and network capacity in the country.

French firm Global Technologies has been tasked with reviving the Central African Republic’s defunct fixed-line provider SOCATEL (Societe Africaine de Telecommunications) by the country’s Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPT).

Recent news from the Philippines and Nigeria indicates growing penetration of broadband services, though by no means all of it is being delivered by fixed lines.

There’s a new point of presence (PoP) in Brazil from Sparkle, a leading international service provider and global operator.

Nokia has announced plans to deploy an internet gateway for a government-owned network in Iraq.

A US telecoms infrastructure company offered to deploy 5G networks in Jamaica for free, in exchange for gradual eventual revenues over time garnered in the country.

Telecom Egypt, which provides fixed and mobile voice and data services to Egyptian customers, and the government of St Helena have signed an agreement to connect the island to Telecom Egypt’s subsea system over the Equiano submarine cable system.

Indian networking products company Tejas Networks has been selected by C3ntro Telecom to upgrade the high-speed backbone and broadband network of the Mexico-based wholesale carrier.

Israeli operator Bezeq made good on a pledge to expand its fibre optic network with the completion of its fibre optic rollout in the town of Metulla, marking the first community in Israel to be entirely connected to the operator’s fibre network.

The Kenya government announced it will lay 630km of fibre optic between the towns of Eldoret to Nadapal, to deliver high-speed internet services and increase trade in east Africa.