United Fiber & Data offers optical wavelength services via Ekinops 600G FlexRate platform

Feb. 4, 2020

United Fiber & Data (UFD) is near to launching optical wavelength service offerings on its fiber network, which serves the U.S. Northeast. The fiber-optic network services provider has deployed the Ekinops 600G PM 600FRS06 FlexRate optical transport platform to enable the new services.

UFD will offer 10G to 100G wavelength options to customer of its metro New York/New Jersey fiber network and 100G on its long-haul link from metro New York City to Ashburn, VA (see “United Fiber & Data runs dark fiber network from New York City to Ashburn”). Use of the Ekinops (Euronext Paris: EKI) (ISIN: FR0011466069) optical transport systems provides a pathway toward increasing these transmission rates to as high as 600 Gbps in the future.

“UFD’s new wavelength service enhancements build upon the reliability and scalability of our diverse fiber network infrastructure, which gives our customers greater flexibility to manage their growing network capacity demands over time,” said Felipe J. Alvarez, CEO of UFD. “Our new wavelength offerings will accommodate the high-capacity needs driven by high-performance data center connectivity, cloud computing and financial customers along our diverse route connecting New York City with Ashburn, VA. These enhancements are examples of the continued investment we are making in our long-haul and metro fiber networks in order to provide the high-capacity bandwidth our customers need.”

“We were seeking a scalable solution that could be easily deployed to provide flexibility and enhanced capacity, control costs, and promote sustained service availability,” explained Christopher Lodge, UFD’s chief operating officer, regarding the use of the Ekinops platform. “The equipment is installed and currently being tested, and we will be operational and in service by the end of the first quarter 2020. With the capability to access and deploy up to 600G wavelengths in the near future, we can help our customers effectively meet their growing business development and communications needs.”

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About the Author

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.

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