Telefonica Vivo's Kriger wins 2013 FTTXcellence Award

André Kriger, the FTTH director at Vivo, Telefonica Group’s local brand in Brazil, received the 2013 FTTXcellence Award at the FTTH Conference in Tampa, FL. He received the award in recognition of his efforts to promote the use of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) in the São Paulo state concession area.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the FTTXcellence Award, co-presented by Corning Inc. (NYSE:GLW) and Lightwave. The award recognizes and individual who has significantly advanced the use of optical access technology. This is the first year the scope of the award has included nominees from Latin America and the Caribbean in addition to North America.

Vivo was created in 2003 as a result of combining several mobile operators. In 2011, Telefonica’s fixed operations and Vivo merged to become the largest telecom operator in Brazil. Vivo’s services include fixed, broadband, mobile voice, and data. Kriger is responsible for Vivo’s FTTH efforts. His perseverance and project management expertise have helped Vivo accelerate its FTTH deployment and win customers. (Kriger describes the challenges he’s faced and the progress Vivo has made in a podcast that you can access here.)

Kriger “is known for choosing solutions that exhibit technical excellence in meeting operational requirements while at the same time keeping installment costs low,” said Kim Hartwell, senior vice president, chief commercial officer, Corning Telecom, during the award announcement at the FTTH Conference. “In this way, he meets immediate needs but also ensures the establishment of a high-quality network that will allow Vivo to provide the best service quality to its customers for years to come. As a result, he contributes to enhancing Brazil’s infrastructure which will in turn support the success of private and public enterprises domestically and globally.

“Colleagues characterize him as managing the project with both perseverance and urgency, enabling Vivo to obtain excellent results with regard to pace of installation and return on investment,” Hartwell concluded.

“I am very happy and honored to receive this award for my contribution to the Telefonica/Vivo FTTH rollout,” Kriger said. “We have been expanding our reach and getting incredible traction in the market, and this critical effort is revolutionizing the telecom landscape within Brazil. I also would like to share this award with my team who is supporting Telefonica/Vivo in this rollout.”

In addition to the awards ceremony at the FTTH Conference, Kriger was honored with a donation in his name to US Ignite, a non-profit, public-private partnership whose mission is to make the U.S. the world leader in applications and services for ultra-fast, software-defined networks. He also received a decorative glass piece from the Corning Museum of Glass, and will be profiled in an upcoming issue of Lightwave magazine.

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