Ekinops has announced that United Group has chosen Ekinops’ innovative DWDM solution to build optical fibre networks for its Croatian subsidiary, Telemach Hrvastska.
United Group whose telecommunications brands include Telemach, Vivacom, SBB, and Nova – expects to invest more than EUR500 million over the next five years to extend its optical fibre networks into new areas and upgrade existing ones.
Željko Batistić, Vice President Technology, United Group, said, “United Group is committed to empowering Croatia and Southeast Europe with innovative and future-proof connectivity solutions across mobile and fixed services. Central to this is a fibre optic network that’s both robust and flexible enough to meet the needs of subscribers today and as demands evolve. Having worked with Ekinops previously across other affiliates, we’re delighted that its strong technical expertise and collaborative approach have once again delivered a solution that strikes a compelling balance between cost, quality of service and speed.”
Ekinops’ 200G and 400G FlexRate single carrier solutions are being combined with its Flex Grid ROADM architecture to enable the long-term flexibility needed across both the regional and core networks. With the proposed architecture, including the Ekinops advanced software control and creation mechanisms of Celestis NMS, United Group and Telemach Hrvatska can upgrade networks easily and quickly by simply adding new circuits to the main hub locations. A single WDM platform offers a coherent solution for urban and regional long-haul networks, accommodating unpredictable bandwidth demands in densely populated areas, as well as interconnecting with other United Group hubs. The compact and power-efficient solution gives a further boost to cost-effectiveness.
Batistić continued, “Ekinops is the technology enabler we were looking for to support our plans for Croatia. This project will be invaluable in futureproofing our mobile and fixed networks to deliver at 5G quality and speed both our domestic and commercial subscribers demand. We look forward to working closely with Ekinops to build a next-generation optical transport network that allows us to face the future with confidence.”
Frank Dedobbeleer, Group Vice President Sales EMEA & APAC, Ekinops, said, “United Group’s commitment to enhancing Croatia and the Adriatic’s connectivity is invaluable to the region’s digital transformation. This project is a testament to Ekinops’ partnership-driven approach when scoping and developing network solutions. We are glad to be delivering another innovative optical fibre network solution for United Group. By moving to 200Gbps and 400Gbps channel services, United Group will be able to activate bandwidth-intense and delay-sensitive applications in the upcoming 5G era.”
