AFL moves into India through Strategic Alliance with Citadel Intelligent Systems

Details: James Barton; Category: Optical & Fixed Networks; 21 November 2017; 5137 views

Fibre optic cable manufacturer AFL is moving into the Indian market via a new partnership with Bangalore-based start-up Citadel Intelligent Systems.

The deal will see the two companies manufacture optic fibre solutions for India and the rest of the world.

Jody Gallagher, President and Chief Executive Officer of AFL, said: “India has evolved as a digitally advanced market. The rising demand for high-speed broadband, increased investment in information technology and telecommunications, accelerated by government led ‘Make in India,’ ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Digital India’ initiatives, are scaling up exponential growth for the optical fiber solutions in the country. We believe that our partnership with CIS will open new avenues for us, help in tapping new customer segments and remain competitive in the business.”

As part of the alliance, AFL-CIS has developed a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bangalore. Aimed at delivering customer-centric innovative solutions, the facility comprises world-class manufacturing equipment, backed by a skilled and experienced workforce.

Gallagher added: “India has the right talent pool and by manufacturing in India we will be able to provide customisation and ‘quick-turn manufacturing’ to support the specific requirements of our customers.”

KK Shetty, CEO and Managing Director of Citadel Intelligent Systems, said: “With our collective industry experience and technical expertise, we are confident of fostering the global optical fibre market with our products and solutions. As the recent studies suggest, the sector will reach a 2 billion USD revenue mark by 2019. To be synchronised with this, our collaboration aims at establishing a world class organisation that can support existing global clients of AFL in India as well as the incredible demand for innovation within the Indian data centre customers.”

The AFL-CIS strategic partnership will bring many robust fibre distribution and cable management solutions to India, such as the latest fibre cable designs that address the growing innovation required to manage significant high fibre count applications within data centres. The partnership is primarily expected to provide customised fibre optic solutions for hyperscale and data centre markets, and harsh environments.