India's disruptive 4G operator Reliance Jio has turned to Ciena for its packet-optical backbone gear.

Gagandeep Kaur, Contributing Editor

March 21, 2017

2 Min Read
Ciena Bags Backbone Deal at India's RJio

India's fastest growing and newest mobile service provider, Reliance Jio (RJio), has deployed Ciena's multi-terabit converged packet-optical technology in its pan-India 4G network core. (See How RJio Tore Up the 4G Rule Book.)

According to Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN), the operator's transport backbone network, which connects all of India's major cities, is one of the world's largest multi-terabit networks in the world. "It is already carrying more than 85% of the total data traffic carried through Indian telecom networks and the deployed network is ready for subscriber additions for months to come," says Ciena in its official media release about its involvement.

RJio, which signed up more than 100 million subscribers during its first 170 days of commercial service, has deployed Ciena's 6500 and 5430 packet-optical platforms from its WaveLogic Coherent Technology portfolio. The technology has been deployed as part of a scalable mesh network, designed to support surges in subscriber numbers and data traffic volumes.

"With Ciena, we are not only able to provide robust scalability to offer new levels of data consumption, which is already 8 to 10 times above market levels, but also a supreme level of confidence in our network's reliability and level of service that stands out in our marketplace," says RJio President Jyotindra Thacker in the press note. "Ciena's coherent technological offerings and proven control plane technology is helping to make us the fastest growing 4G network in the world," adds Thacker.

"Jio understands the necessity in today's digital environment to provide high-bandwidth services anytime, anywhere. Ciena seeks to continue our momentum across these markets in developing long-lasting customer relationships to enrich the lives of residents in these areas," says Ciena CTO Steve Alexander.

Ciena's transport network equipment rivals in India include Huawei, Infinera and Nokia.

RJio's agreement with Ciena adds to its growing list of vendor engagements. The operator has renewed its contract with Samsung for Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment and with Cisco for data center IP gear. It has also deployed small cell technology from Airspan, which will be the foundation for one of the largest planned small cell deployments in the world. It has also teamed up with D-Link subsidiary Team F1 for the provision of home gateways and other home connectivity solutions.

— Gagandeep Kaur, contributing editor, special to Light Reading

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About the Author(s)

Gagandeep Kaur

Contributing Editor

With more than a decade of experience, Gagandeep Kaur Sodhi has worked for the most prominent Indian communications industry publications including Dataquest, Business Standard, The Times of India, and Voice&Data, as well as for Light Reading. Delhi-based Kaur, who has knowledge of and covers a broad range of telecom industry developments, regularly interacts with the senior management of companies in India's telecom sector and has been directly responsible for delegate and speaker acquisition for prominent events such as Mobile Broadband Summit, 4G World India, and Next Generation Packet Transport Network.

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