Telecoms – one of the UK’s connectivity providers (and part of SSE plc) reveal the details of its biggest network technology investment to date. SSE Enterprise Telecoms introduces a new technology platform with Infinera, deploying the XTM Series to deliver the low latency, flexibility and improved scalability that today’s businesses are seeking in order to fully future-proof their organisations.
SSE Enterprise Telecoms will offer a resilient, ‘dark fibre-like’ network on a scale never seen before in the UK and comes in the wake of the challenge against Dark Fibre Access in July 2017, which left a gap for high-capacity connectivity nationwide.
SSE Enterprise Telecoms chose to partner with Infinera due to its unique combination of layer 1 and 2 packet optical and Ethernet services – serving as a credible alternative to customers laying costly dark fibre cabling. Infinera’s impressive synchronisation capabilities allow for flexibility on the network, not currently available at such scale or at an accessible price point for SSE Enterprise Telecoms’ customers.
The extensive network promises access to multiple services with speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second to each BT exchange. Current networks are only able to offer a fraction of those speeds at a commercially viable cost.
The dark fibre hangover
The UK government outlined in its 2017 digital strategy vision the need to ‘continue to create conditions that encourage investment in the UK’s digital infrastructure’. This partnership announcement shows SSE Enterprise Telecoms’ continued efforts to improve connectivity for all UK businesses by creating a credible UK alternative to costly new cable laying projects.
Customers of the SSE Enterprise Telecoms’ network will benefit from connectivity to more than 80 commercial data centres, meaning it’ll be able to meet them practically anywhere. UK businesses and service providers will have the flexibility and option to scale, supported by a high-capacity network without any upfront cost required to buy or lay new fibre connectivity to each exchange.
Conrad Mallon, Chief technical architect, SSE Enterprise Telecoms says: “We’re working with Infinera because they have an elegant product set that scales effectively, and a unique approach to layer 1 and 2 connectivity. A network project on this scale makes us one of the few providers that can offer multiples of 100Gbps services between exchanges, commercial data centres and across our core, at an accessible price point. The network expansion deal is also paving the way for our ambitious roadmap which will see SSE Enterprise Telecoms investing more in network reach over the next five years.”
Nick Walden, SVP, EMEA, Infinera says: “The UK market has never been more dynamic, now facing exponential bandwidth growth coupled with a renewed focus on connectivity services from both enterprises and carriers due to the recent DFA activities. Infinera is delighted to partner with SSE Enterprise Telecoms on this significant project to rapidly scale network capacity and service differentiation for its customers with our leading XTM Series packet optical solutions.”
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