CityWest partners with Fujitsu for broadband in the Tahltan Nation Territory of British Columbia

March 21, 2022
The project is part of the Canadian government’s Connect to Innovate program and is the second partnership under this umbrella between the two companies.

Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. says it is supplying its 1FINITY platform and Virtuora Network Controller (NC) to communications services provider CityWest to improve broadband access throughout the Tahltan Nation Territory in northern British Columbia. The project is part of the Canadian government’s Connect to Innovate program and is the second partnership under this umbrella between the two companies.

The new DWDM network will leverage Fujitsu’s 1FINITY T310 Transport and L100 Lambda blades. Meanwhile, the Virtuora NC will enable open, multi-vendor, software-defined networking (SDN) control and management, Fujitsu says. The company also will supply field services teams to support logistics and network deployment for CityWest.

Having worked with Fujitsu on several projects, we are confident that their product reliability, customer support, and network deployment experience constitute a significant asset for success,” said Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest. “We are gratified to undertake another Connect to Innovate project, and we look forward to bringing world-class connectivity to the Tahltan Nation, allowing them to benefit from essential digital services, and helping to improve economic development opportunities for indigenous communities.”

“Network digital transformation is crucial to bridging the digital divide, despite the geographic challenges in remote communities,” added Annie Bogue, head of sales and marketing at Fujitsu Network Communications. “With advanced fiber-optic technology, SDN management, and field services to ensure a smooth rollout, Fujitsu is delivering outstanding support for CityWest’s mission to provide the best possible customer experience.”

The Canadian government has committed $585 million through he Connect to Innovate program to bridge the digital divide in more than 975 rural and remote communities, including 190 indigenous First Nations. The government expects to improve connectivity for 390,000 households. Besides this new partnership, CityWest and Fujitsu also are collaborating to support the Connected Coast deployment along the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island under the umbrella of the Connect to Innovate project. Both deployments are expected to be ready to support services at the end of 2022.

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.

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