ITS taps Adtran for its UK wholesale fiber network

Adtran, Inc., the leading provider of next-generation open networking and subscriber experience solutions, today announced that ITS Technology Group (ITS) has selected the Adtran open and disaggregated 10Gbit/s fiber access platform to future-proof its growing wholesale network in the UK, known in the marketplace as “Faster Britain.” Adtran provides ITS with a flexible solution that makes it easy to deploy, scale and surpass the diverse and ever-changing needs of a growing wholesale partner community.

ITS designs, builds and operates wholesale, gigabit-capable, full-fiber networks for business services in the UK. Following a substantial investment round and long-term project wins, ITS needs to future-proof its network and improve performance and reliability. The wholesale network provider selected the Adtran 10Gbit/s fiber access platform because it uses an open and disaggregated architecture that eliminates vendor lock-in while providing the flexibility needed to sell services through a diverse set of partners and channels. The software-defined platform also offers leading service scalability that enables ITS to support its business today and in the future with minimal infrastructure changes. The programmability of the fiber access platform makes it easy for ITS to design flexible, resilient, automated services that can be deployed incrementally based on need or demand – a first-of-its-kind service offering in the region, giving ITS a competitive advantage as it continues to increase its Faster Britain footprint across the UK.

“Reliable, high-speed connectivity underpins innovation, growth, productivity and economic opportunities, and that is why we are dedicated to building our Faster Britain networks across the UK,” said Mike Goodwin, CTO at ITS Technology Group. “As experts in delivering full-fiber infrastructure and the provisioning of wholesale gigabit-capable services, we rely on partners like Adtran to provide high-quality solutions to help us stay ahead of the technology curve. Our partners benefit from our deployment of XGS-PON technology as it allows us to deliver basic broadband for Ethernet services over the same customer connection. We’re impressed with Adtran’s engagement, support and willingness to work with us in achieving our ambitious objectives.”

With its flexible, scalable, programmable network, ITS works exclusively to build fiber networks across UK towns and cities, including London. Faster Britain is on track to pass 25% of the country’s business premises by the end of this year. Among its flagship projects is LCR Connect, a 212km full-fiber, ultra-fast network for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) that will serve as a gateway for businesses, investors, universities, schools, hospitals, residents and students to access cloud-enabled technologies and connect to new economic and growth opportunities.

“Wholesale full-fiber providers, like ITS, have to support hundreds of partners that sell to end users, so it is crucial that their network is flexible to meet constant changes in end-user demands,” said Stuart Broome, VP of sales, EMEA at Adtran. “Our open and disaggregated approach to full-fiber broadband offers one-of-a-kind versatility and scalability to meet the highest network demands. Adtran makes it easier for network operators and service providers to deliver the services that connect communities today and support the growth and services of tomorrow.”