SASE, software lead growth

Ekinops’ fourth-quarter growth was driven by gains in both its Connectivity and SASE Networks and Software and Services segments.

Software and Services sales rose 6%. Software and Services represented 20% of the company’s revenue in the first quarter, up from 18% a year earlier.

As of the end of this March, Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) amounted to 18.3 million, up 5% compared to the end of December 2025.

Likewise, Connectivity and SASE Networks solutions sales reported sequential growth of 14% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, confirming what the company said was a return to stronger activity observed since the end of last year, particularly in France.

The company has also been bolstering its Connectivity and SASE Networks unit through targeted acquisitions.

Olfeo, the French provider of SSE (Secure Service Edge) cybersecurity software, which it purchased last year, contributed $1.9 million to revenue in the quarter.

Also, Ekinops’ acquisition of Chimere, a French cybersecurity start-up that has developed a universal ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) solution enabling the secure interconnection of all endpoints with enterprise resources, will have an impact in the future, as it aligns with the company’s network security strategy.

“Combined with Olfeo’s offering, it is intended to accelerate Ekinops’ positioning in the fast-growing SSE and SASE segments, while creating cross-sell opportunities by ideally complementing its portfolio of European sovereign digital solutions in SD-WAN, Firewall, and ZTNA,” Ekinops said.

Optical remains flat

Optical Networks activity was stable at the start of the year (flat vs. Q4 2025), Ekinops reported: “solid momentum in Europe (excluding France).”

However, in the United States, activity increased sequentially but has yet to reflect the expected impact from the rollout of the federal BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program.

Another potential contributor to optical growth could be found with a key large European customer. While it did not reveal the identity of the service provider, Ekinops said that, at the end of March, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a tier-1 European telecom operator for the deployment of a large-scale optical network based on WDM technology.

In addition to the telecom infrastructure systems, Ekinops would also provide its network management solution based on its Celestis platform, along with associated software and professional services.

The company said that “ongoing advanced discussions with this European telecom operator aim to finalize a multi-year framework agreement in the coming months."

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.