Telekom Srbija Expands Cross-Border Fibre Capacity with Ciena Technology
Telekom Srbija Group is upgrading fibre connectivity between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina using Ciena’s advanced coherent optical technology, enabling transmission speeds of up to 800Gb/s. According to Developing Telecoms, the 150km fibre route, built in partnership with local integrator IGMAKO Smart Solutions, aims to support surging data demand driven by 5G services and hyperscale customers in the region.
Expanding Capacity Across Southeast Europe
Ciena’s 6500 packet-optical platform will serve as the backbone of the new cross-border fibre link, significantly enhancing capacity and reducing latency between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is expected to meet rising data traffic while strengthening Telekom Srbija’s infrastructure in Southeast Europe, a region experiencing accelerating digitalisation trends.
The investment underscores Telekom Srbija’s readiness to accommodate data-intensive applications, particularly as 5G rollouts across the region gather pace. Katarina Subotić, Chief Sales Officer at Telekom Srbija, remarked that the upgrade marks a major step forward in enabling “cutting-edge technologies.”
Context: Meeting the Needs of a Data-Driven Economy
Telekom Srbija’s fibre push reflects broader industry trends as operators worldwide race to enhance networks for burgeoning 5G traffic and enterprise applications. Analysts note that hyperscale customers, such as cloud providers and content delivery networks, are driving demand for high-capacity, high-performance links.
Regional connectivity projects like this also play a strategic role in fostering economic integration within Southeast Europe by bridging digital infrastructure gaps and improving bandwidth availability for both urban and rural regions.
Future Outlook and Industry Implications
The deployment of Ciena’s platform aligns Telekom Srbija with global benchmarks in optical technology, giving it a competitive edge amid rising connectivity demands. Industry observers see this move as part of a larger strategy for operators in Southeast Europe to position themselves as regional network hubs.
As cross-border data consumption continues to surge, similar upgrades could follow throughout Southeast Europe, particularly in underserved markets. The deployment also raises competitive stakes for Telekom Srbija’s domestic and regional rivals, who may be compelled to accelerate their own network investments to maintain parity in performance and capacity.
What remains to be seen is whether such upgrades position Telekom Srbija to capture a higher share of enterprise customers or potentially partner with global hyperscale players expanding into the region. With 5G traffic expected to dominate in the coming years, the race to roll out high-capacity networks is just beginning.
