Safaricom’s solution of using Nokia’s Gigabit Passive Optical Networking (GPON) technology will now help expand their broadband services and support commercial 5G systems by upgrading to Nokia’s Next-Generation-PON.
Like many CSPs across the world, Safaricom PLC in Kenya has witnessed growing demand for higher capacity and speed. Especially while end-user and enterprise customers’ behaviours shift during this COVID-19 time, the operator wants to boost fiber-to-the-home penetration in Kenya.
In March 2020, the upstream bandwidth consumption in Kenya increased over 300%, compared to the same period last year. The solution will deliver capacity and reliability, while being ready from day 1 for future proof capabilities, such as next generation PON, software-defined access networks (SDAN) and 5G transport.
Safaricom can now cater to an array of requirements whether it is planning a new build, a mass migration or some tactical update. Next-Generation-PON deployments are accelerating worldwide, giving operators the opportunity to converge residential, business broadband and mobile any-haul on one infrastructure, create more revenues and decrease cost -to-serve. Safaricom’s fiber access network is ready to be upgraded to 10Gb/s when needed and deliver business value for decades to come.
James Maitai, Director Network of Safaricom Kenya, explained, “Nokia has demonstrated a product roadmap that will meet our existing GPON and future XGS-PON technology demands coupled with a software offering that will aid in more complete automation of provisioning of customer services. They will enable us to better manage cost and derive even more value from our significant wireline investment.”
Safaricom, which is already in the process of initiating a country-wide FTTx rollout in Kenya, will further benefit from Nokia’s future-proof ISAM portfolio that enables customers to efficiently upgrade to NG-PON, SDAN and automation in provisioning when network requirements demand these services.
Nokia’s GPON and FTTx solutions are designed to cater to the changing demands of the masses while preparing for the possible challenges in the future.
