IT Brief Australia - Technology news for CIOs & IT decision-makers
Story image
NBN Co partners with Infinera to enhance Australia's broadband capacity
Fri, 15th Mar 2024

Australia's national wholesale open-access broadband provider, NBN Co (nbn), has chosen to upgrade its national optical network with Infinera's GX Series platform and ICE-X intelligent coherent pluggables. Spanning metro, regional, and long-haul transport, this integrated solution aims to enhance the capacity of nbn's nationwide network, thus boosting the delivery of high-speed services to its wholesale customers.

Nbn's nationwide network supports the delivery of broadband access to wholesale customers throughout Australia and links homes and businesses to its wider nbn broadband access network. The deployment of the Infinera GX Series platform and ICE-X intelligent coherent pluggable across NBN's 60,000-kilometre fibre optic transport network is expected to augment traffic aggregation efficiencies and overall network capacity while achieving substantial power and cost-per-bit savings.

Andrew Leong, Chief Technology Officer of nbn, Fixed Networks, commented on the increasing demand for broadband in Australia, stating: "The need for broadband in Australia is expected to reach levels never seen before over the next decade, and we continue to upgrade and modernise our national network to stay ahead of the evolving needs of our customers."

Leong added, "By enhancing the performance of our fibre optic backbone by using Infinera's GX platform and ICE-X pluggable optics, we expect to be able to cost-efficiently scale capacity while delivering a great customer experience."

Infinera is a global supplier of pioneering open optical networking solutions and advanced optical semiconductors, helping firms like nbn stay current and meet their growth and flexibility goals. These solutions allow operators, including carriers, cloud platforms, governments, and enterprises, to enhance network bandwidth, quicken service innovation, and automate their network operations. The company is committed to offering industry-leading economics and performance in long-haul, submarine, data centre interconnect, and metro transport applications.

Expressing satisfaction over the extension of the longstanding relationship with nbn, Nick Walden, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Infinera, said, "We are pleased to provide them with a versatile suite of networking solutions enabling them to innovatively leverage their fiber assets and rapidly respond to current and emerging customer demands." Walden emphasised that "nbn's new upgraded network will continue to position them as Australia's key telecommunications backbone."

NBN Co's decision to upgrade its national optical network with Infinera's GX Series platform and ICE-X intelligent coherent pluggables marks a significant milestone in Australia's broadband infrastructure development. This integrated solution not only enhances the capacity and efficiency of NBN's nationwide network but also reflects the company's proactive approach to meeting the escalating demand for high-speed broadband services across the country.

With a focus on scalability, performance, and cost-efficiency, NBN Co is poised to continue leading Australia's telecommunications landscape, supported by Infinera's innovative networking solutions. This collaboration underscores Infinera's commitment to empowering operators like NBN Co with cutting-edge technologies to address evolving customer needs and drive digital transformation across various sectors.