Nokia working with Jordanian operator on fiber network build
In Jordan, a country of more than 9 million people covering some 34,000 square miles, the vast majority of internet users depend on a wireless, rather than a wired connection. And while there has been tremendous interest, particularly in the U.S., around pre-standard 5G fixed wireless access using high-capacity millimeter waves as a way to solve the last-mile fiber problem, Nokia and operator Orange Jordan are taking a different approach.
The goal is to build out a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network to support triple-play services including high-speed wired broadband. In addition to a range of managed services, Nokia is leveraging the service providers existing ADSL with its GPON, gigabit passive optical networking, solution set. The end expectation is to provide service in the 200 Mbps range.
Orange started a FTTH roll out in 2016 as part of its broader Essentials 2020 plan to provide widespread, robust connectivity for consumer and enterprise services. CEO Jerome Henique emphasized the need for speed, both for service and deployment. “We needed to quickly deploy a FTTH network that would provide the end-to-end capabilities we required to support our customers’ evolving ultra-broadband needs.”
With some 30,000 FTTH connections already established, Henique is focused on “fiberizing the rest of the network, which is expected to be up and running by the end of 2017.”
