Vendor Bytes: Ciena, 1Finity, Cisco, Adtran, Taara

Five items of vender deployments and trials to catch up with:

KDDI has tapped Ciena’s Blue Planet for a network modernization project. KDI will be looking to expand its AI-driven capabilities using Blue Planet’s automation portfolio. Accenture will be supporting the project, which will unify network inventory, orchestration, assurance, optimization, and agentic AI. The japanese giant is pushing a new autonomous network vision internally in order to evolve its use of AI and accelerate innovation.

Fujitsu’s 1Finity division has picked up some R&E networking business. The Missouri Research and Education Network (MOREnet) has tapped 1Finity’s gear and supporting software to modernize their optical infrastructure. The upgrade will include a nextgen optical line system and a converged transport platform that will support 800G with a path to more. The project is expected to be complete next summer.

Schurz Broadband Group has tapped Cisco across its portfolio of operating companies. They are deploying Cisco’s nextgen 800 Series routing platform, with the Cisco 8712 mentioned specifically, under their Flight Fiber network brand. Antietam Broadband, Long Lines, NKTelco, and Orbitel Communications will be retiring their legacy platforms and interconnecting via a new shared peering hub in Ashburn.

Telia Estonia and Adtran are testing 50G PON technology by deploying Adtran’s SDX 6400 Series technology. Telia Estonia is preparing for the next generation of residential and business broadband access. It’s a proof-of concept trial that will look to see how 50G PON coexists with existing GPON and XGS-PON services.

And Taara has been busy trialing its Lightbridge wireless optical communications technology. Working with AT&T and Nokia Federal Solutions, they have demonstrated a high capacity connection across 14km from a Texas Tech University rooftop to a mobile cell site. They have also demoed conenctivity for 80K spectators at MetLife Stadium in NJ after just hours of installation, combining Taara’s optica links with millimeter-wave radio backup for five-nines availability.