STC picks Huawei for next-generation metro WDM networks in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) selected world's one of the leading information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, Huawei, to supply new solutions to the company’s next-generation metro WDM networks in Saudi Arabia. 

According to STC, it is facing an urgent demand to construct “ultra-bandwidth” metro networks.

STC will be the first operator in the Middle East to leverage world-leading photonic integrated device (PID) technology to save on both space and power usage of its network operations. by utilising Huawei’s metro WDM products.

“The PID technology helps us construct advanced metro WDM networks, provide multi-granularity services quickly and easily, and serve our customers more agilely,” said Khaled I Al-Dharrab, transport network director of STC.

“Due to its simple design and structure, PID technology makes it easier to deploy and maintain next-generation metro WDM networks,” he said.

The technology greatly simplifies the WDM architecture by integrating multiple key photonic components of the WDM system - such as lasers, modulators, detectors, multiplexers and demultiplexers - into a 5cm PID chip. “Compared to a traditional WDM network, a PID-enabled WDM network can save up to 50% of space and power and 90% of the fiber connection,” Al-Dharrab added. 

Huawei, ranked number one in the global optical network market and the WDM/OTN market in Q4 2011, according to consultancy firm Ovum. Its also an industry leader in the area of WDM development and has successfully applied its PID technology around the world, including in Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and further abroad.