Nokia gets some welcome Deutsche Telekom optical work

Finnish kit vendor Nokia will be pleased to have received some friendly vibes from German operator DT in the form an optical transport network modernization gig.

This gives Nokia the opportunity to talk-up its ‘Wave’ branded optical transport portfolio. In this case we’re talking about WaveFabric platforms and WaveSuite software. The aim of the game is to upgrade Deutsche Telekom’s optical core network and strategic regional distribution sites to bring them into the 21st century.

“We are transforming our optical network to give our customers a highly differentiated service quality of experience, and to be more responsive to their new services needs while also reducing our network TCO,” said Dr. Erik Weiß, VP Optical Transport Core, Deutsche Telekom Technik. “The Nokia optical transport solution enables us to realize these goals by creating a more scalable and automated services-centric platform that will support us well into the future.”

“We are excited to support Deutsche Telekom and will be providing a customer-focused solution that will transform its optical transport network into a services-centric platform for the Industry 4.0 era,” said Rafael De Fermin Del Castillo, SVP Europe & MEA, IP/Optical Networks at Nokia. “This project leverages our Nokia Bell Labs optical network innovation, experience and expertise, including our Germany based innovation centers which have made significant contributions to our optical networking innovation.”

There is extra significance to this deal when you consider how much Nokia has fallen out of favour with the German telco in recent years. Last year DT seemed to indicate it didn’t think Nokia was up to the job on the mobile side of things, so this will serve as a welcome sign that the path to redemption remains open.