Thailand's Dtac has contracted Alcatel-Lucent to deploy a 100G optical network to help upgrade the operator's 3G network and lay the foundation for a 4G rollout.
Alcatel-Lucent said it has already started building the 100G netwok in Bangkok, and plans to expand the rollout to other parts of the country throughout the year.
The rollout will use a converged WDM/OTN platform and make use of Alcatel-Lucent's generalised MPLS control plane system.
Through the upgrade, Dtac aims to support a mobile subscription growth rate of 6% per year and eventually roll out an LTE network covering more than 40% of the Thai population.
“This is the first deployment of 100G GMPLS in Thailand,” Dtac senior vice president of network operations Panya Vechbanyongratana said. “Alcatel-Lucent’s technology will... allow us to make a smooth and cost-effective transition to 4G when the time is right.”
Alcatel-Lucent managing director for Thailand Sebastien Laurent added that the platform the vendor is supplying to Dtac “is flexible enough to expand capacity further to 400G speeds down the road.”