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Infinera partners with Xarxa Oberta to boost Catalonia's broadband
Tue, 9th Jan 2024

San Jose-based company Infinera has announced a key strategic partnership with Xarxa Oberta de Catalunya (XOC), a subsidiary of global telecom groups Cellnex and Catalonia's network service provider. Through this deal, Xarxa Oberta has deployed Infinera's advanced XTM Series, which aims to meet the growing broadband requirements of government networks across Catalonia, Spain.

Xarxa Oberta, the preeminent provider of wholesale optical fibre networks in Catalonia, has been offering an array of services, such as Ethernet services, dark fibre, and colocation services, thus assuring the region is equipped with top-tier high-speed services. With the integration of Infinera's XTM Series, Xarxa Oberta can optimise the diversified services that it offers.

The innovative packet optical transport solutions provided by Infinera will enable Xarxa Oberta to deliver network architecture that fits the region's needs. Furthermore, the XTM Series solution enhances the network's ability to offer flexible, high-capacity connectivity with minimal power consumption to governmental networks across Catalonia.

Joan Cervera, CEO at Xarxa Oberta, stressed the importance of their partnership, noting Catalonia's rapid growth and the need for ongoing investments in the network. He highlighted that Infinera's XTM solution meets current communication service needs, and the potential to upgrade to ICE6 ensures scalability for future demands, particularly in government networks.

Joan Cervera said, "Catalonia is a fast-growing region with more than 900 municipalities and almost 8 million inhabitants, requiring constant investments in our network to ensure we continually provide the most robust communications services to our customers."

"Infinera's XTM solution delivers the flexible services required today, and the ability to upgrade to ICE6 will enable us to scale to meet the demands of government networks in the future."

Additionally, Xarxa Oberta tested Infinera's ICE6 solution on the GX Series Compact Modular Platform. This test validated the capacity of the ICE6 solution to run optical signals at up to 800G on the network, marking the potential for future scaling.

Nick Walden, Senior VP of Infinera, looks forward to cost-effective, high-speed collaboration with Xarxa Oberta. The successful 800G services test signals ongoing partnership and scalability for future demand. "Infinera is pleased to partner with Xarxa Oberta to deliver cost-effective, high-speed services that meet the growing bandwidth needs of government entities in a very densely populated region," said Walden. 

"Looking ahead, the successful test validating 800G services on Xarxa Oberta's network paves the way for an ongoing partnership that will allow Xarxa Oberta to continue to scale and expand their services to meet future demand."

In essence, the main objective of this partnership is to align with the ever-increasing demand for advanced network solutions, specifically in the Catalonia region, which has a population nearing 8 million. The strategic cooperation with Infinera will not only provide immediate solutions but also have the potential to accommodate future advancements.