Telekom Srbija Leverages Ciena for Cross-Border 800Gb/s Fibre Upgrade
Telekom Srbija and Mtel are deploying Ciena’s coherent optical technology to upgrade fibre connectivity between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, enabling transmission speeds of up to 800Gb/s, according to Developing Telecoms. The project aims to boost cross-border network capacity and support Southeast Europe’s growing data demands, particularly for 5G and hyperscale services.
Scaling Up Capacity with Ciena Technology
The upgrade, driven by Telekom Srbija Group and its subsidiary Mtel, focuses on a new 150km fibre route connecting Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. At the heart of the deployment is Ciena’s 6500 packet-optical platform, which allows scalability up to 800Gb/s while maintaining low latency. This enhanced network capacity positions the operator to meet the increasing demands from 5G rollout and hyperscale clients, including cloud providers and large enterprises.
The deployment is being delivered in partnership with local systems integrator IGMAKO Smart Solutions. Katarina Subotić, Chief Sales Officer at Telekom Srbija, highlighted that the upgrade represents a critical step toward enabling advanced technologies across the operator’s footprint. While the company’s official statement described the project as ‘significant,’ it also marks an ongoing investment in regional digital infrastructure.
What This Means for Telecom in Southeast Europe
The project aligns with broader trends in telecommunications where cross-border connectivity and higher-capacity infrastructure are becoming essential. Southeast Europe, in particular, is a growing market for data-intensive services like 5G, cloud computing, and edge applications. By leveraging Ciena’s coherent optical solutions, Telekom Srbija is positioning itself as a driver of digital transformation in the region.
Industry analysts note that demand for low-latency, high-capacity links is surging as enterprises and service providers ramp up adoption of advanced digital platforms. This upgrade not only strengthens connectivity within Southeast Europe but also enhances the region’s ability to link to broader global networks via key data hubs.
Future Outlook: A Competitive Edge or a Regional Standard?
This fibre upgrade gives Telekom Srbija a competitive edge in addressing large-scale data demands, but it also sets the bar for other operators in Southeast Europe. The deployment underscores how operators are turning to next-generation optical technologies to future-proof their networks amid exponential data growth.
As 5G adoption accelerates, infrastructure investments like this are expected to proliferate. Market watchers note that Telekom Srbija’s move signals a larger trend of operators in emerging markets adopting advanced network solutions to remain competitive. Whether competitors in the region will follow suit remains to be seen, but the demand for robust connectivity continues to grow unabated.
For context, Europe has seen a series of network upgrades in recent years aimed at meeting the rising demand for faster enterprise and consumer services. With its cross-border initiative, Telekom Srbija reinforces its role as a leading operator in the region.
Original source: Developing Telecoms
