Ekinops sees Q2 optical transport rebound

Ekinops is benefiting from a new wave of growth in the optical industry following the inventory correction phase, as service providers that had been stockpiling new network equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic are now moving forward. 

Following a 16% decline in the first quarter, Ekinops’ sales of optical transport equipment rebounded sharply by 42% in the second quarter.

Sequentially, Ekinops’ optical transport sales rose 30%, while first-half-year sales in 2025 grew 10%.

The company said the growth was the result of “several major equipment deployment projects in Europe, particularly in Germany, as well as the gradual acceleration of deliveries of its new 800G solution.”

Over H1 2025, Ekinops’ revenue came to $67.3 million, which was nearly identical to H1 2024.

Access, software mixed results

Despite the growth in optical, Ekinops’ access and software results varied.

Access solutions sales declined by 7%. A significant contributor to the decline was a 10% drop in sales in France, Ekinops' primary market for this activity (59% of the Access business).

Ekinops said the “decline in France is solely concentrated on Ekinops' largest customer, which had recorded strong growth in 2024 of 21%.”

The company added that “other accounts are stable or showing significant growth in” the first half of 2025.

Alternatively, Software & Services were up +22%, representing 20% of the company’s total sales.

At the end of the first half of 2025, sales generated by Software & Services showed strong growth of +22%. Ekinops attributed the increase to its service offerings and the completion of its acquisition of Olfeo, a French provider of SSE (Security Service Edge) cybersecurity software in early June.

At mid-year, Ekinops’ Software & Services accounted for 20% of its revenue, compared to 17% a year earlier and 18% for fiscal year 2024.

North America turnaround

After several quarters of struggles, Ekinops saw a boost in North America optical sales.

Following a 20% decline in the first quarter, driven mainly by the rebound in Optical Transport equipment sales, Ekinops’ North America sales returned to growth in the second quarter by 9%.

Sequentially, sales increased by 6% compared to the previous quarter. However, for the entire half-year, sales are down 9%. Ekinops generated 20% of its revenue in North America during the first half of 2025.

In France, half-year sales declined by 6%, following a strong growth of 18% in 2024, due to a drop in Access solutions sales in the quarter, concentrated on the largest customer.

Optical Transport remained a bright spot in France, which recorded a 6% increase during the period. Ekinops generated 41% of its revenue in its domestic market in the first half of 2025.

Ekinops noted that the first half of 2025 “was marked by a 4% growth in Ekinops' international business, which now accounts for 59% of the Group's total revenue, up from 56% a year earlier and identical for fiscal year 2024.”

Fueled by its growth in North America, Ekinops has forecast on what it calls “a gradual recovery of the telecommunications market over the coming quarters.”

While also implementing the first actions of its new strategic plan, Bridge, notably with the acquisition of Olfeo, a French provider of SSE (Secure Service Edge) cybersecurity software, Ekinops will become a larger force in the network cybersecurity market, specifically in the fast-growing SSE and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) segments.

For related articles, visit the Business Topic Center.
For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.