Ciena bulks up on US manufacturing for BEAD

Ciena has joined a growing list of suppliers to ratchet up US-based manufacturing to ensure compliance with the Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements attached to the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.

Ciena said it has struck an expanded agreement with long-time partner Flex to add domestic manufacturing for a pair of products expected to play a role in future BEAD-funded deployments – a new line of pluggable optical line terminals (OLTs) and optical network units (ONUs).

Those products will be added to a broader, BEAD-facing portfolio that includes elements such as access infrastructure, middle-mile networks and software, Ciena said.

Ciena expects US-based manufacturing of those pluggable OLTs and ONUs to get underway in mid-2024.

Looking further out, Ciena said it will also develop next-gen 25GS-PON pluggable OLTs and ONUs in the US.

Tied into the expanded agreement, Flex has signed on to provide "advanced manufacturing capabilities," including specialized optical transceiver assembly and supply chain services. Ciena said those additions will pave the way for the company to manufacture the pluggable OLTs and ONUs for BEAD at scale.

Thumbs up from Harmonic

Ciena's announcement also got a shout out from Harmonic, which has adapted its virtual cable modem termination system (vCMTS), now branded as "cOS," to operate on fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks as well as hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks. In addition to supporting the cOS core, Ciena's fiber tech can also be plugged into Harmonic's Ripple nodes.

Related:For BEAD success, ISPs should engage with states now

"Coupled with Harmonic's market-leading virtual cOS core and Ripple outdoor nodes, Ciena's OLT pluggables are poised to enable 10G FTTX to millions of American homes from the more than 100K Harmonic nodes deployed in the US," Dan Gledhill, Harmonic's SVP of broadband business operations, said in a statement.

Ciena didn't announce any specific BEAD-related wins, but the vendor's decision to boost US manufacturing for key fiber network elements did get a commendation from Drew Van Dopp, president and CEO of Maryland Broadband.

Ciena's US manufacturing ramp up also comes in the wake of proposed rules from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that includes a "limited and targeted waiver" for BABA requirements for BEAD. Under those rules, the bulk of fiber broadband equipment will need to be made in the US, including fiber optic cable, "key electronics" and enclosures.

Ciena joins several other suppliers to expand US-based manufacturing for BEAD. Among examples, Calix recently announced an initial $6 million investment and partnership with Jabil to shift more manufacturing to the US, a move that is also poised to create more than 100 new US-based jobs. CommScope, Corning, Nokia, Adtran and ATX Networks have made similar types of moves of late.

Related:'Buy America' restrictions could bog down BEAD