Gulf Bridge International (GBI), which provides cloud, connectivity, and content enablement services, is rolling out Ciena Corp.’s (NYSE: CIEN) GeoMesh Extreme technology, including the WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optical engine, on its Smart Network infrastructure. The submarine network enhancements will add 10 Tbps to the infrastructure’s design capacity.
GBI uses its submarine cable network infrastructure to provide connectivity to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as well as Europe and India (see, for example, “GBI lands submarine cable in Iraq” and "GBI uses Xtera 100G systems for Mediterranean undersea cable link, backhaul"). Increases in video streaming, cloud computing, and 5G – as well as anticipated demand spikes associated with the upcoming World Cup football tournament in Qatar – have led GBI to enhance its network capabilities. GBI also will leverage Ciena’s Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller for software control and automation of the fiber networks.
This is not the first time GBI has purchased transmission technology from Ciena (see "GBI signs packet-optical transport systems supply deal with Ciena"). “Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optical technology will allow us to maximize the use of our fiber assets, ensuring a great quality of service for our customers,” said Cengiz Oztelcan, CEO of GBI. “We are excited to continue to expand our relationship with Ciena. GBI can now add significant capacity and intelligence to the network to meet requirements from customers including internet content providers.”
“Ciena’s WaveLogic technology and software will help GBI create a network that can adapt, self-optimize, and scale to meet customer demands,” added Jamie Jefferies, vice president and general manager, international, Ciena. “We understand the importance for GBI to have a programmable and reliable submarine network – especially as the region will soon be hosting the world’s biggest football tournament, which is expected to drive a great deal of video traffic.”
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