Original article Total Telecom:Read More

HANOVER, Md., USA – June 10, 2025 – Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) has compiled a new report on wavelength services – the first of its kind – that explores the key drivers of the need for high-speed connectivity. The report examines the critical role of wave services in enabling the expansion of interconnected data centers driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), the growing importance of low latency and data sovereignty for AI workloads, and the build-out of terrestrial and critical submarine network infrastructure. It also highlights the pivotal role of managed optical fiber network (MOFN) business models to expand high-speed connectivity into new geographies and markets.

“As cloud providers scale data center networks to address AI performance requirements, wave services must also evolve in terms of capacity, coverage, latency, and route diversity,” said Mark Bieberich, Vice President of Portfolio Marketing, Ciena. “Demand for wave services is growing steadily worldwide, as data center network expansion requires increasingly high-capacity interconnection among various types of network operators and end users.”

Wave Services Circuits Grow

The total wave services circuits market in the U.S. grew nearly eight percent in 2024 and is projected to grow steadily through 2029, based on research from Vertical Systems Group. It observed an increasing use of wave services for cloud on-ramps, which is demonstrated by the metro geographical scope (41%) along with the dominance of retail customers (58%).

Graphic Source: Vertical Systems Group, “Wavelength Circuits by Geographic Scope” and “Retail vs. Wholesale Wavelength Circuits,” May 2025

The report states that, from 2024 to 2029, growth in 400G circuits is set to soar, while 100G circuits will see a steady rise, and 10G circuits will experience modest growth.

Wave services are the foundation of most high-capacity networks, particularly when connectivity to or between data centers is involved. High bandwidth, protocol transparency, and low latency are some of their fundamental characteristics. Wave services can either act as end services or support higher-layer services. Based on Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology, they enable massive data-transmission bandwidth over a fiber pair. Currently, wave services are dominated by 100G and 400G connections. There is still a high volume of 10G services deployed, but they are being upgraded to 100G at a steady pace.

Submarine cable growth

In addition, Ciena’s report looks at the growth of submarine cables. It highlights that a record 161,100 kilometers of submarine cables are planned to become ready for service (RFS) in 2025, dwarfing the previous high of 121,000 kilometers becoming RFS back in 2001.

“With infrastructure expanding rapidly and resource constraints increasingly shaping growth, anticipating demand has never been more important,” Bieberich added. “Network operators providing wave services can seize this moment by proactively routing new submarine cables to emerging data centers and innovating to address these challenges. Differentiation through greater route diversity, low-latency connectivity, and compelling managed services is key to staying ahead.”

The report provides a thorough analysis of the current industry landscape, evaluating key trends and identifying factors poised to influence the market in the coming years. The report’s forecasting illuminates the path forward, enabling stakeholders to effectively strategize and maintain a competitive edge in their fields. Read the full Wave Services report here.

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About Ciena

Ciena is the global leader in high-speed connectivity. We build the world’s most adaptive networks to support exponential growth in bandwidth demand. By harnessing the power of our networking systems, components, automation software, and services, Ciena revolutionizes data transmission and network management. With unparalleled expertise and innovation, we empower our customers, partners, and communities to thrive in the AI era. For updates on Ciena, follow us on LinkedIn and X, or visit the Ciena Insights webpage and Ciena website.

Note to Ciena Investors
You are encouraged to review the Investors section of our website, where we routinely post press releases, SEC filings, recent news, financial results, and other announcements. From time to time we exclusively post material information to this website along with other disclosure channels that we use. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations, forecasts, information and assumptions. These statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties.  Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those stated or implied, because of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in our most recent annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our  expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies and can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” “will,” and “would” or similar words. Ciena assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Texas, U.S., 10^th June 2025 – The Responsible AI Institute (RAI Institute), a global and member-driven non-profit dedicated to enabling successful responsible AI efforts in organizations, has appointed Matthew Martin, founder and CEO of Two Candlesticks and an international leader in cybersecurity, as a member of its Global Advisory Board. Matthew’s extensive cybersecurity expertise will be leveraged to help organizations strengthen AI governance, enhance transparency, and scale innovation responsibly.

With over 25 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry, Matthew has led and implemented security operations at Fortune 100 financial services companies. As CEO of Two Candlesticks, he currently provides high-level cybersecurity consultancy, strategy, and frameworks to underserved markets and regions. He will apply this expertise to his role at the RAI Institute to build awareness for transparent AI practices and help organizations overcome critical technological, ethical, and regulatory challenges.

“AI has the power to truly transform the world. If done correctly, it democratizes a lot of capabilities that used to be reserved just for developed markets. This is exactly why industries need organizations like the RAI Institute,” said Matthew Martin, Global Advisor at RAI Institute and CEO of Two Candlesticks. “I’m proud to be a part of such a forward-thinking institute that’s leading the way in advancing responsible AI innovation across diverse markets. Its mission directly aligns with my passion for playing an active role in establishing a resilient, future-ready cybersecurity foundation for all.”

Through its global network of responsible AI experts, the RAI Institute offers valuable insights to practitioners, policymakers, and regulators. With over 34,000 members and collaborators, its community spans technology, finance, healthcare, academia, and government agencies. Its goal is to operationalize responsible AI through education, benchmarking, verification, and third-party risk assessments.

“We are so pleased to have Matthew on board as a Global Advisor for the RAI Institute. His drive for serving the underserved in cybersecurity makes him a perfect addition to the board as we advance responsible AI across the entire ecosystem,” said Manoj Saxena, Chairman and Founder of the Responsible AI Institute. “Trusted AI foundations lead to sustainable and scalable AI solutions. It’s through the expert contributions of industry leaders like Matthew that we can strengthen our mission to ensure a secure future for AI.”

In addition to his role at RAI Institute, Matthew holds advisory positions on the boards of Ironscales, Trustwise, Stealth, and Surge Ventures. Through his work at Two Candlesticks, he is making robust cybersecurity strategies accessible, efficient, and impactful across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

About Responsible AI Institute (RAI Institute)

Founded in 2016, Responsible AI Institute (RAI Institute) is a global and member-driven non-profit dedicated to enabling successful responsible AI efforts in organizations. We accelerate and simplify responsible AI adoption by providing our members with AI conformity assessments, benchmarks and certifications that are closely aligned with global standards and emerging regulations.

Members include leading companies such as Amazon Web Services, Boston Consulting Group, KPMG, ATB Financial and many others dedicated to bringing responsible AI to all industry sectors.

www.responsible.ai

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The fibre network operator insists that its growth plans remain on track, despite reports that the company’s backers are exploring a potential sale

CityFIbre are downplaying reports this week that suggested the company’s investors are in talks to sell the business to one of the company’s biggest rivals, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2).

Yesterday, a report from The Telegraph said that two of CityFibre’s major backers – Mubadala and Goldman Sachs – had been holding initial discussions with VMO2 surrounding a potential sale. Sources also suggested that CityFibre’s debt financiers, including NatWest, Société Générale, and Credit Agricole, were also taking part in separate discussions.

CityFibre has been facing mounting financial pressure over the last year. Initially aiming to cover up to 8 million homes with full fibre by the end of 2025, the company has pursued an aggressive – and expensive – fibre network rollout strategy. The company’s debt pile now sits at roughly £3.9 billion, with the company having previously noted that existing funding is set to run out in the middle of this year.

As a result, the network operator has been seeking to secure additional funding for the best part of nine months, reportedly seeking £500 million from existing investors and a further £1 billion from lenders. This funding, the company says, is crucial for its ongoing network rollout, as well as the company’s growing focus on M&A.

CityFibre notably acquired smaller altnet Lit Fibre last year and Connexin earlier this year, which added combined to add around 300,000 premises to CityFibre’s network. In total, CityFibre has roughly 4.3 million UK premises passed, leaving it far from its target.

The operator insists, however, that the funding it needs is still being arranged, saying that the rumours of potential sale discussions are unfounded.

“Any speculation about a potential sale is unfounded. CityFibre is in a strong position and we expect to announce details of our financing shortly, supporting our role in consolidating the sector and accelerating CityFibre’s next phase of growth,” said the company in a statement.

Join us at Connected Britain, 24-25 September in London. Tickets available here  

Also in the news:
SWR deploys Europe’s first ’Rail-5G’ Wi-Fi  
BT accelerates fibre rollout amid cost cuts
AT&T agrees $5.75 billion deal for Lumen’s consumer fibre assets

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Partner Article

GlobalData, a world-renowned market research company, has released its Packet-Optical Access: Competitive Landscape Assessment for 2024. Huawei’s OptiX OSN 1800 series products have once again been rated as the only “Leader” with the highest score in access WDM, thanks to their leading architecture, excellent transmission performance, and mature commercial use cases. In February this year, Huawei’s OptiX OSN 9800 series products were also named a “Leader” in backbone and metro WDM by GlobalData in 2024. This signifies that Huawei’s WDM products have been named a “Leader” in all fields and scenarios spanning access, metro, and backbone for four consecutive years, which is a testament to Huawei’s strength and leadership in WDM technologies.

As a world-leading analyst institution, GlobalData evaluates the access WDM products of multiple top vendors based on five criteria: Ethernet interface, capacity, transmission function, physical attributes and management, and data support. Huawei’s OptiX OSN 1800 series scored the highest and was the only product named “Leader”.

“Huawei’s OptiX OSN 1800 platforms are leading in the packet-optical access class, because they offer a full-featured solution combining high uplink speeds and switching capacity with cutting-edge features,” said Emir Halilovic, Research Director of GlobalData. “These leading features allow carriers to efficiently support various transmission scenarios using OSN 1800, including enterprise private lines and mobile transmission.”

As AI rapidly develops and sees widespread use, intelligent applications of enterprises and home users have higher requirements on the quality of network connections. The E2E OXC all-optical switching technology is used to upgrade the metro network architecture and build an AI-centric 1ms latency metro network, providing deterministic premium experience and ensuring proper computing utilization. The 1 ms latency metro network transmits computing power resources from the cloud to individuals, households, and enterprises through a deterministic low-latency network. This reinforces computing with network connectivity and makes computing power more accessible, driving the digital transformation of various industries.

Huawei’s OptiX OSN 1800 series devices, with their large capacity, high integration, and flexible deployment, are key to building 1ms latency metro networks. OptiX OSN 1800 V Pro devices are deployed at metro edge nodes, and the full-slot 200G MS-OTN supports bandwidth upgrades to 100G/200G. This achieves one-stop access of all services and computing access upon optical access, helping carriers build metro networks with the optimal TCO. In addition, Huawei’s 1800 series provides industry-leading high-integration Mini WSS modules, with 55% smaller module size. 2U devices are also used to implement edge optical switching, saving equipment room space at metro edges. Besides this, Huawei’s products fully support OSU/fgOTN small-granularity hard pipe service access. With the unique board-level latency measurement and latency map innovation, the products enable real-time visualization and measurement of latency, improving end users’ network experience and facilitating carriers’ business success.

Huawei’s OptiX OSN 1800 series products will continue to be upgraded in terms of pipes, protocols, and protection, helping to build solutions with higher bandwidth, higher flexibility, and stronger protection for scenarios such as all-service integrated bearing and small-granularity private lines in the AI computing era. In this way, the products can help carriers achieve comprehensive service development.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator Vodafone has today announced that they’ve agreed a new partnership with UK-based quantum company, ORCA computing. The deal will see the network provider harnessing quantum technology to help them quickly map out the fastest and cheapest route when building and upgrading future mobile and fixed broadband networks.

Major national network operators often have to manage some incredibly large and complex networks. At the same time, there’s always pressure for network planners to identify the fastest and most cost-effective routes for upgrading and extending fixed and mobile broadband connections to more customers.

However, Vodafone sees Quantum computing as having the potential to handle more complex processing tasks than a classical computer, such as when planning, installing and optimising large mobile radio and gigabit broadband networks at national scales.

“As the size and complexity of networks grow alongside demand for new digital services, Vodafone is collaborating with ORCA Computing to enhance current mathematical methods used to approximate optimal network layouts. Vodafone’s software will be run on ORCA Computing’s quantum computer – the ORCA PT-2 Series photonic quantum system. The solutions generated by the quantum system could, for example, help reduce total cable length and optimise the location of mobile base stations to maximise speed and minimise major civil engineering work,” said today’s announcement.

Luke Ibbetson, Head of Research & Development of Vodafone, said:

“Our work with ORCA Computing aims to solve ultra-complex problems which otherwise would take many hours, weeks and even years to process on today’s classical computers. Modelling new networks that maximise speed, reliability and coverage for customers, while navigating urban clutter and rural obstacles, could in future take minutes.”

James Fletcher, Head of Solutions Architecture at ORCA Computing, said:

“ORCA Computing’s continued collaboration with the Vodafone team marks an important step toward achieving practical and commercial quantum advantage. We have shown that quantum acceleration of telecommunications use cases is not just a theoretical concept, it’s a viable, deployable and commercially compelling solution.”

The operator plans to initially assess ORCA’s quantum technology for solving complex optical fibre optic cable design challenges, but over time they expect to deploy it more widely, such as when modelling their global network which spans more than 200 destinations (inc. undersea fibre and their future direct-to-mobile broadband satellite communications system via AST Space Mobile).

Vodafone believes that that quantum computing will not only improve the accuracy of network optimisation, but also accelerate the use of machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to predict faults before they impact customers. At the same time, there may, of course, be cost savings to be found as fewer humans will be needed to perform the same sort of tasks.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Digital infrastructure firm Boldyn Networks, which has helped to deploy a number of open access UK mobile and fibre optic broadband networks, has today announced that they’re working with network operator ITS Technology to deploy a new full fibre network across parts of four London Boroughs (Bromley, Lewisham, Merton, and Wandsworth).

The new digital infrastructure project is being funded by the Mayor of London’s Strategic Investment Fund (SIF), which in turn is being fuelled through London’s share of retained business rates. The deal also utilises Boldyn’s existing 20-year concession agreement with Transport for London (TfL), which was signed in June 2021 (here).

The new partnership will enable ITS to gain access to Boldyn’s existing assets and infrastructure within the London Underground (this helped to connect their 4G and 5G mobile network) to support and manage the new full fibre networks.

The network build for all this is already said to be underway and is intended to boost internet connectivity for people working in or visiting public sector buildings, including council offices, libraries, community centres and sheltered accommodation. Critical CCTV sites across all four boroughs will also be connected to the new network.

In total, over 9,000 overlooked business premises in Bromley, Lewisham, Merton, and Wandsworth will also be able to access gigabit speed services through ITS’ network of ISP and reseller partners. This will, it’s claimed, extend ITS’ network coverage to all London Boroughs – putting them “in reach of 70% of the capital’s commercial premises” (although it’s unclear if this is a premises passed figure or not).

Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth, said:

“Access to reliable high speed broadband is key to improving public services, boosting local economies and creating safer, thriving communities across the capital.

Backed by funding from the Mayor, this initiative will deliver much-needed digital infrastructure to local residents and businesses in London, supporting our mission to close the digital divide and deliver-long term growth as we work to build a better, fairer London for everyone.”

Paul Osborne, Chief Commercial Officer for the UK & Ireland at Boldyn Networks, said:

“This project is a shining example of how innovative public-private partnerships can make grant funding go further to deliver exceptional results. Bringing seamless connectivity to the London Boroughs is a major focus of our work in the city. ITS’ existing footprint across London complements the scope of this initiative while leveraging our advanced network infrastructure in the London Underground. It aligns with our vision and commitment to full fibre access as the foundation for improved public services, safer communities, and thriving local economies.”

Daren Baythorpe, CEO of ITS, said:

“Our work with Boldyn Networks will advance the digital ambitions of Bromley, Lewisham, Merton, and Wandsworth. The innovative use of London Underground’s assets under Boldyn’s concession agreement with TfL perfectly aligns with our reuse, ‘dig once’ and sustainability ethos. This project is set to transform local communities by delivering a platform to bridge the digital divide, attract inward investment, and deliver long-term value to the economy.”

The announcement doesn’t say how long the new network will take to deploy, or precisely how much funding is involved. But it’s worth nothing that most of the city already has quite a few gigabit broadband networks as options, although most of the named boroughs tend to form parts of the wider Greater London area that do have some gaps in connectivity to tackle.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network operator CityFibre, which has so far deployed their gigabit-capable full fibre broadband (FTTP) lines to cover 4.3 million UK premises (RFS), have said that recent newspaper “speculation” around the possibility of the business being acquired by Virgin Media (O2) are “unfounded“. The operator added that they were now close to securing a much-needed financing deal.

Just to recap. CityFibre currently still aspires to cover up to 8 million UK premises with their new FTTP (XGS-PON) broadband network – representing c.30% of the UK. But their original target of hitting that by the end of 2025 will not be achieved, and the operator has instead shifted their strategy to focus more on growth via mergers and acquisition (M&A) of smaller alternative networks (e.g. the deal to acquire Connexin – here, as well as Lit Fibre before that).

Like so many other network operators, CityFibre is also under pressure from high interest rates, rising build costs and competition, which has already impacted some of their commercial deployments. This tends to make it more of a challenge to raise fresh investment, too. On top of that, one of the operator’s key ISP partners, TalkTalk (accounting for c.150k CityFibre customers), is struggling in ways that could risk wider harm in the future (here).

Despite this, reports from earlier this year had indicated that CityFibre were working toward securing a crucial c.£1.5bn financing package, which was said to reflect a £500m equity financing deal with existing investors (here) and around £1bn of incremental debt funding – roughly enough liquidity to keep them fuelled through to mid-2027 and to support their M&A drive. But that deal has yet to emerge.

The latest development sees the Telegraph reporting that two of CityFibre’s major investors (Mubadala and Goldman Sachs), as well as some of their lenders, have in recent months approached the parents of Virgin Media and O2 (i.e. Liberty Global and Telefonica) to discuss options, including a potential sale (perhaps not for the first time). But the alleged exploratory talks didn’t go very far and are not thought to be ongoing.

A CityFibre spokesman said:

“Any speculation about a potential sale is unfounded. CityFibre is in a strong position and we expect to announce details of our financing shortly, supporting our role in consolidating the sector and accelerating CityFibre’s next phase of growth.”

Crucially, the company’s shareholders have also issued a statement, which says they “remain committed to CityFibre’s long-term success and are actively engaged in supporting the company’s next phase of growth“. ISPreview’s own sources have similarly indicated that the future financing deal could end up being worth more than £1.5bn and is expected to be agreed in the next few weeks, before the end of July (existing funding is due to run out around mid-2025).

According to a previous note from analyst James Ratzer, in 2025 and beyond, it’s expected that CityFibre will likely only build FTTP out c.300k homes per annum organically, largely to fulfil their Project Gigabit contracts. But the operator still aspires to add around 1 million premises each year, which suggest c.700,000 will be coming from M&A deals (c.100k – 185k of this was covered by the Connexin deal).

The catch is that consolidating alternative networks tends to be a slow, complex and often costly process – particularly with many altnets still harbouring an inflated idea of their own asset values. CityFibre’s strategy around it is thus still somewhat unproven, although most industry observers expect to see more consolidation, which only becomes more likely as other altnets begin running out of funding.

Finally, the idea of an acquisition by VMO2 and nexfibre’s parents also seems highly questionable, not least due to the high level of overbuild between the networks. Not to mention that VMO2 and nexfibre’s network expansion, as well as their wholesale plans, seem to have taken a hit after debt-laden Telefónica began a strategic review of their business (here and here). But Liberty Global does still see UK consolidation as a strategy they may pursue, with other operators.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Hyperoptic, the UK’s leading alternative full fibre ISP, has today announced it is set to extend availability of its award-winning services to an additional one million UK homes, via the Openreach network

The strategic move has been driven by its ongoing commitment to delivering the best customer experience to broadband users throughout the UK, with the launch expected during early 2026.  

CEO and co-founder, Dana Tobak CBE, said: “We have built a solid reputation of delivering best-in-class customer experience to our current footprint of 64 towns and cities, placing us in a unique position within the market. To support our growth ambition, and to bring the Hyperoptic experience to more consumers, we have taken a strategic decision to make our services available via the Openreach platform from next year. 

“This expansion is good news for both existing consumers and new customers looking to improve their service. Our research highlights that most customers who leave us do so because they’re moving home. We understand home movers would prefer to take their Hyperoptic service with them so today’s announcement will make that possible, and our customers can continue to enjoy Hyperoptic for many years.” 

In addition to today’s update, Hyperoptic has also shared that this month it passed 400,000 active subscribers, and well over 1.9 million homes, cementing its position as one of the UK’s top ten providers.  

Join us at Connected Britain, 24-25 September in London. Tickets available here  

Also in the news:
SWR deploys Europe’s first ’Rail-5G’ Wi-Fi  
BT accelerates fibre rollout amid cost cuts
AT&T agrees $5.75 billion deal for Lumen’s consumer fibre assets

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) has announced that they’ve appointed network analyst firm Streetwave to harness fleets of bin lorries to help “accurately” map 4G and 5G mobile broadband coverage and performance, which will focus on the North of Scotland (i.e. Moray, Aberdeenshire and Highland Council areas).

Streetwave has already spent the past few years harnessing waste (bin / refuse) collection trucks to map mobile network coverage and speeds across various parts of the UK (e.g. here, here, here, here and here). In this setup, refuse trucks are installed with several off-the-shelf Smartphones using special software, which run continuous network tests (once every 20 metres in rural areas and 5m in urban areas) as the vehicles go around their routes.

The data they collect is then used by local authorities to help identify areas that may require additional intervention in order to improve local mobile coverage and or network capacity. In addition, members of the public have often also been given access to some of this data via address-based coverage checkers and interactive maps (example), which is the plan here too.

The results will help identify areas where there is limited coverage and guide improvements and the roll-out of future solutions, especially in remote communities where digital exclusion is a significant issue. The mapping exercise will be carried out using the Councils’ fleets of bin lorries together with other Council vehicles travelling along approximately 10,000 miles of roads to ensure thorough coverage of addresses in the three Council areas.

Neil Rutherford, Leader of the SFT Digital Connectivity Team, said:

“Using bin lorries that already travel across our roads into all communities is a practical way of collecting reliable mobile data.

By working with Streetwave and the local authorities to build our understanding of coverage across the country, in both rural and urban areas, we are establishing a strong understanding of mobile connectivity issues. It’s only by having the right data and the right digital tools can we work together to truly connect all of Scotland.”

The project, which is being part-funded by the Scottish Futures Trust, is expected to run for a full year across the Moray, Aberdeenshire and Highland Council areas. This should also allow the local authority to track seasonal changes, such as around holiday periods and during big events, where network congestion can become an issue.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile network operator Vodafone have announced that people in Belfast, Sheffield, Liverpool and Watford can now take advantage of their “try before you buy” style eSIM, which first went live in London last month (here). Consumers can try the operator’s service, free, for 7-days with 50GB of data (mobile broadband), 500 minutes and 500 texts – all without changing your number.

The “no commitments or strings attached” service trial is only open to non-Vodafone mobile customer, using an eSIM supporting Smartphone and your device must be geolocated inside one of the initial cities. In order to take advantage of this, people must scan a QR code (which can be found across the cities) or visit the Vodafone website to sign up online (affiliate link), with the eSIM being installed via their My Vodafone App.

Trial customers can then join the 7-day free network trial without changing their existing number or swapping their SIM card (i.e. this does NOT port your existing mobile service). In that sense, the trial acts a bit like one of those travel eSIMs that people often buy when going abroad, where the new service complements rather than replaces the old one. We think this is a clever way of allowing consumers to test a different network.

Vodafone is planning to roll out the trial even further, across other cities around the UK.