Enterprise leased dark fiber solutions a lucrative opportunity in Europe

Belfast, UK – July 6, 2009 // BTI Systems, a global supplier of Intelligent Service Edge solutions for the delivery of high-bandwidth, multi-protocol services, today announced that Lebara Group, Europe’s leading provider of high-quality, low-cost international mobile services, has deployed the BTI 7000 series for data center connectivity supporting Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) requirements.

The Lebara Group offers tailored innovative telecommunications solutions so that families, friends and colleagues can keep in touch, both at home & abroad.  Lebara has over three million customers across Europe operating as a provider of international wholesale minutes and as a virtual mobile operator (MVNO).

Lebara needed a distributed peering solution for its TDM-based wireless voice switches located in geographically separated data centers.  A backup-to-disk (B2D) data resiliency solution for subscriber account information and billing databases over GbE links was also implemented.

Lebara Group is using the BTI 7060 packet optical platform to extend STM-16 links and provide Gigabit Ethernet connectivity; the solution has 2 10-port Multiprotocol Muxponder client service modules per site to providing equipment redundancy.  The compact 2RU form factor delivers a high capacity, standardized approach for delivery of TDM and data connectivity over 10 G wavelengths.  proNX GUI-based element and network management system delivers intuitive and simple network operation, and the rapid connectivity provisioning means bandwidth is readily available.

The BTI solution gave Lebara an alternative to purchasing services from a local service provider.  As the cost of fiber is falling rapidly, a dark fiber lease was a more cost-effective strategy.  The BTI solution enables a faster response to new bandwidth requirements and more direct control compared to working with a service provider.  The existing spare capacity on the initial solution deployment will address the growing demand without additional cost and the ability to leverage additional WDM wavelengths in the future will provide immense capacity to address new service demands as Lebara rolls out new services including mobile and international money transfer, and online content.

Rajeet Nair, Operations Director, Lebara commented, “BTI delivered capacity, scalability, and a cost effective solution that complemented our decision to leverage dark fiber in lieu of lit services.” He continued, “Having direct control of a solution that will grow with Lebara’s subscriber base as we roll out new and innovative service offerings was essential, and BTI’s packet optical networking solution delivers.”

“Wireless providers continue to innovate and deliver more service capabilities to a growing mobile population” said Bali Ahlawat, Sales Director, BTI.  “Our solution will ensure that Lebara’s mission-critical operations and customer data is secure today, and address new connectivity requirements as their service portfolio evolves and customer base continues to grow quickly.”