Etisalat & Huawei conducted MENA First 400G Transport Network Solution Trial to Increase Service Bandwidth

Mobilk - Etisalat UAE— a Leading Telecom service provider together with Huawei—a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider—have announced the successful trial of a new OSN9800 U16 & 400G optical transport network technology in UAE which can be used in the future to expand Etisalat’s network capacity in order to meet the increasing bandwidth requirements from local customers.

The latest trial is the first time that the Huawei’s flagship OptiX OSN 9800 U16 solution has been tested worldwide and is the first time in MENA region a commercially available OTN-based 400G line board has been tested.

This 400G link, which was deployed within Etisalat operational fiber network environment, is over 170km. In addition to opening up more bandwidth for telecom services, the technology enables operators to more efficiently carry both fixed and mobile broadband services to their customers, such as IPTV content and LTE-Advanced mobile connectivity.

Etisalat has been testing various transport network technologies in recent years as part of its overall network modernization plan across the UAE. Over the course of 2014, such efforts have included Etisalat partnering with Huawei to conduct trials of 5th Generation (5G) mobile broadband services in the Middle East, as well as an agreement to trial a first of its kind 40Gbps GPON fiber network that can offer more reliable, faster, and affordable broadband access to households and businesses. 

“The 400G technology of Huawei demonstrates that our existing network asset is capable of supporting future, next-generation transmission technology,” Etisalat VP Network Development Mr. Esmaeel Alhammadi said, ”Etisalat constantly assesses new technology to expand our capabilities and to enhance our ability to support traffic growth demand from our customers. We believe this 400G solution ensures positive performance in the coming years.”

“Enabling a better connected world is a vision that both Huawei and Etisalat share for our regional customers. By partnering once again with Etisalat on this latest trial, we have set the stage for developing intelligent management capabilities that can increase access to the modern information society,” adds Alan Wang, President of Huawei Etisalat Global Key Account.