IP Over WDM Fostering Growth for AR Telecom

“In full understanding for our demands, ZTE’s tailor-made optical transmission solution help us speed service delivery. The outstanding performance of our optical networks in Portugal is the most reliable guarantee for accelerating rollout of services."

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  AR Telecom CTO，João Martins

AR Telecom, formerly the subsidiary of Jazztel, the multinational telecoms operator in Spain, and then purchased by SGC Telecom investor group, is a major fixed-line operator in Portugal. With its patented TMAX technology for triple play wireless network, AR Telecom provides diversified services for customers in many cities involving Lisbon, the Capital, Porto, the second largest city and Cascais, a holiday resort.

Speeding service delivery to escalate competitiveness in the pressure of competition

In Portugal, a developed telecoms market, customers’ multi-service requirement is the driver to all IP-based services. Adoption of the data transmission solution involves the future growth for AR Telecom; in the pursuit of gaining a foothold in the competitive market from many other rivals, AT Telecom should select the cutting-edge transmission technology for escort; an advanced, scalable transmission solution met with its growth rate can well solve the bottleneck in development, and help AR Telecom accelerate rollout of services and boost competitiveness.

ZTE IP Over WDM solution helping AR Telecom speed rollout of services

In 2006, ZTE supplied its advanced IP Over WDM solution for AR Telecom to build the Lisbon WDM metro network. This was the first cooperation between ZTE and AR Telecom. In 2007, AR Telecom planned to carry out large-scale upgrades to its original network, and build a WDM metro network covering Lisbon, the Capital, Porto, a city of strategic importance in northern Portugal, Cascais, a holiday resort, and Setubal.

Before the adoption of ZTE optical transmission equipments, AR Telecom tried other data transmission solutions, including direct-to-fiber connection, MSTP technology, etc. These solutions were unable to accommodate the rapid growth of its services, resulting in increased TCO. ZTE IP Over WDM solution, employing ZXMP M800, the high-end metro DWDM equipment, can offer flexible access to multiple data service types, sub-wavelengh/wavelength-level provision capability, ZTE patented path shared protection, modular upgradeability and centralized wavelength monitoring capability. Additionally, ZXMP M800 shared the same platform with ZXWM M900, ZTE ULH DWDM equipment, and applied universal boards, vastly reducing CAPEX and OPEX and offering guarantee for AR Telecom’s investment. On success of this solution, AR Telecom began to deploy other transmission equipments from ZTE to substitute other vendors’ equipments.

Completed in only one year, AR Telecom’s IP Over WDM transmission network covers all major cities in Portugal, solving the deficiencies of its original transmission network in low service delivery efficiency and high cost, and paving the wary for its service development.

Outstanding network performance accelerating service growth

The network built by ZTE has outstanding performance, with no failure occuring in several upgrades; as the network involves a lot of interconnections with data equipments from other vendors, zero occurrence of failure won high praise from Nuno, network planning director, AR Telecom, “the bearer network is the basis of service development, ZTE transmission network contributed immensely to the service development of AR Telecom!”

By cooperation with ZTE, AR Telecom saw rapid growth of services, with its services to risen by a factor of nearly 50% in 2007, thus greatly solidifying its position in Portugal market and strengthening survivability and profitability.