Nokia to supply NCTC membership with FTTP equipment, services
Nokia says it has reached an agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) that enables it to sell to NCTC members what the vendor describes as “tailored fiber solutions” as well as services for fiber to the premises (FTTP) requirements. Nokia asserts the FTTP technology will not only meet current requirements but provide a path toward 25G PON as well as cloud-native software-defined networking (SDN) control.
NCTC, among other things, acts as a technology and services broker for its more than 700 cable and broadband operator members, enabling them to pool their collective buying power to ensure better prices and services. The groups members provide broadband services to approximately 15 million customers across more than 3000 communities, many of which are smaller and located in rural areas. With several members earned funding via the Phase I Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction, so they’ll be shopping for FTTP broadband technology.
Nokia plans to offer GPON and XGS-PON capabilities, with the promise of 25G PON down the road. “This marks the beginning of a partnership that will greatly benefit NCTC members and their customers as demand for higher-performing broadband is growing faster than ever before,” said Sandy Motley, president, Nokia Fixed Networks division. “In addition to our family of PON products built on our in-house designed chipset, we expect our agreement will expand to include a full range of fixed and wireless network solutions. NCTC members now have ready access to Nokia’s extensive team of experienced professionals, capable of supporting any type of network expansion and upgrade challenges.”
“On behalf of our members, we are very excited to establish a partnership with a technology leader like Nokia,” added Rob Smith, senior director of procurement, NCTC. “Nokia is the only NCTC partner that currently offers a 25G symmetrical PON solution, and its complete wired and wireless service portfolio is cutting edge. Nokia is clearly committed to our membership and to enabling their success. We look forward to a productive and beneficial partnership for decades to come.”
The agreement is not exclusive, as NCTC announced a similar relationship with DZS earlier this year (see “NCTC members get special pricing on DZS fiber access, mobile transport gear”) and ADTRAN last November.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.