Lepida upgrades broadband network via Ribbon, TIM

Nov. 9, 2020

Lepida designs, implements, and manages broadband network infrastructure for public administrations and related entities of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government in Italy.

Stephen Hardy

Ribbon Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: RBBN) says it is partnering with communications services provider TIM to upgrade the regional broadband network of Lepida ScpA. Lepida designs, implements, and manages broadband network infrastructure for public administrations and related entities of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government in Italy.

Ribbon will supply elements of its Apollo line of optical transport systems. The regional fiber broadband network is based on a mesh of interconnected rings using Apollo 9600 ROADMs throughout and 9900 series OTN switches at hub nodes. The fiber network infrastructure will support selectively encryptable Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel services as well as improved connectivity between the region's main PoPs and data centers with 200G flexgrid protected wavelengths.

"Public administration entities have seen their bandwidth requirements grow exponentially due to accelerated digitization and COVID-19 related restrictions. Our challenge has been to quickly deliver the increased capacity and additional bandwidth our customers need," said Professor Gianluca Mazzini, CEO of Lepida. "Working with Ribbon and TIM enabled us to rapidly expand our network capabilities with a flexible, scalable, and configurable solution and provide our customers with value-added encrypted services."

"Lepida performs a vital function in Emilia-Romagna, and the provisioning of bandwidth services has only become more critical with increasing demands due to the pandemic," added Barak Eitan, head of South Europe, Ribbon. "Our advanced Optical Transport Networking (OTN) solutions, and our partnership with TIM, enable Lepida to continue to perform its mission in these unprecedented times."

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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.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.