EKINOPS announced its first OTN switch customer, finalizing a deal with a major provider of telecommunication and digital solutions in EMEA. The customer was not disclosed.
Specifically, the EKINOPS Transport Switch (ETS) is being used to upgrade an existing optical transport network from 10G to 100G using a two-phase approach by first optimizing and simplifying the operations of existing 10G services before migrating the network to 100G. EKINOPS said its customer’s existing fiber optic network is used to transport sub-1Gbps to 10Gbps services between Europe and Asia primarily connecting global financial centers. Extending from the Chinese border to Russia and Europe and using diverse routes across its service territory, the network provides highly reliable and resilient connectivity between the two continents. High demand across this network has made the providers current operational model, largely dependent on manual reconfiguration of circuits and fiber connections, obsolete and has resulted in large amounts of stranded capacity. During the first phase of the project, the service provider will create a mesh architecture that will interconnect all of its 10G interfaces to support traffic without any physical change in the core network. Phase two will entail deploying the 100G interfaces already available on the same line cards giving the service provider the control to upgrade on an as-needed basis and avoid having to make a full capital commitment upfront.
“This is a significant win and represents a major milestone in the evolution of EKINOPS as a company,” said Francois Xavier Ollivier, Ekinops’ co-founder and Chief Operating Officer for optical transport. “It demonstrates our ability to bring new technologies to market quickly as well as the value we add for our customers through acquisitions.”
https://www.ekinops.com/products/ekinops360-portfolio/otn-line-of-products/ets-chassis-products
Ekinops acquires OTN tech fom Padtec
Ekinops agreed to acquire an OTN switching platform developed by Padtec, an optical communications system manufacturer based in Brazil, for €10 million in cash. The deal brings an experienced R&D team comprised of 25 engineers based in Campinas, near Sao Paulo (Brazil). Brazilian operations will be overseen by Jean-Luc Pamart, co-founder of Ekinops and VP of R&D for optical transport.
With this acquisition, Ekinops expects to be able to offer a complete OTN/DWDM solution for optical networks from early 2020, enabling flexible data traffic and support for the evolution of data speeds and protocols transmitted over 200-400G modulated optical wavelengths, eventually reaching 1 Tbps.
Ekinops plans to carry out a capital increase by private placement over the coming weeks, for an amount capped at 10% of the capital stock.
Padtec CEO Manuel Andrade said:
“The acquisition of the OTN-Switch Platform by a globally recognized company such as Ekinops is a validation of the capability of Padtec’s engineers to develop state-of-the-art technologies deployable worldwide. Additionally, we are happy to enter into commercial agreements with Ekinops that will enable Padtec to offer the OTN-Switch on an OEM basis to our customer base in Latin America. This is a clear win-win agreement for both companies.”
Didier Brédy, Chairman & CEO of Ekinops, made the following comments:
“The OTN technology developed by Padtec is particularly innovative and will enable Ekinops to take a major technological and commercial leap forward in order to advance its position with leading telecom operators. The agreements with Padtec, the leading Latin American manufacturer and supplier of optical networking equipment, will also allow Padtec to source the OTN products it needs from Ekinops. This major strategic acquisition means that Ekinops can target to triple its sales of optical transport products within 5 years.”
