Sweden-based optical network vendor Transmode has landed its first Tier-1 contract win in Asia-Pacific in the form of a three-year frame agreement with Hutchison Global Communications to supply a ROADM-based 100G optical backbone network.
No financial details were disclosed, but the deal, signed on Wednesday, is part of HGC’s plan to upgrade its existing Hong Kong backbone by overlaying a new, more efficient fiber network, says Transmode CEO Karl Thedéen.
“They’re currently running SDH and Carrier Ethernet, and they have increasing demand from enterprise and wholesale customers for higher-capacity Layer 1 services to be able to offer 1G, 10G, 40G and 100G services,” Thedéen told telecomasia.net.
Under the deal, HGC will deploy an 80-wavelength ROADM-based optical network with Transmode gear supporting Gigabit Ethernet, 2.5G, 10G, 40G and 100G transport, along with the vendor’s multi-layer management suite. Thedéen says Transmode is the only WDM vendor involved in the rollout.
The new network will cover all of Hong Kong, and will interconnect customer premises, data centers and submarine cable landing stations. The new design utilises low power and compact nodes at all locations, saving both energy and space, Transmode said in a statement.
HGC will also use Transmode’s recently-released planning tool for planning on-going network and capacity expansion.
The first deliveries for the project have already started and initial services are scheduled to be operational by the first half of this year.
The HGC deal also marks Transmode’s first successful contract win with a Tier-1 operator in Asia-Pacific, a region where Transmode’s business to date has been encouraging but modest, Thedéen said.
“Hutchison is a big brand name in the APAC region, and this is something we’ve been missing that we can point to – a large Tier-1 operator using our technology,” Thedéen said. “That will be a big reference point in taking new contracts, which is exciting for us because there is a great opportunity for WDM and Carrier Ethernet in APAC.”