INDUSTRY NEWS
DFA and Ciena break fibre capacity records in world-first trial
Emtelle and GoFibre strengthens partnership to accelerate high-speed connectivity across Scotland
Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) and Ciena have set a new benchmark in fibre capacity with a world-first trial that delivered 1.6 Tbps over a single wavelength – more than four times the performance of previous tests. Powered by Ciena’s WaveRouter and WaveLogic 6 Extreme solutions, this breakthrough marks a major step toward future-proofing DFA’s network and driving economic growth in South Africa through advanced IP/ optical convergence. The trial was conducted over a 40 km stretch between Isando and Midrand, using DFA’s high-capacity core network. The route chosen replicates the previous trial that had demonstrated 400 Gbps capability.
Emtelle, a global supplier of passive network infrastructure for high- speed connectivity, has expanded its strategic partnership with ISP and network provider GoFibre following GoFibre’s latest Project Gigabit contract award. As key employers in the Scottish Borders, Emtelle and GoFibre will work together to deliver duct, sub-duct, and fibre infrastructure for new full-fibre networks, supporting Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) speeds of up to 10Gbps. This infrastructure will be provided to Edinburgh-based GoFibre as part of its fourth contract under the UK Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit, valued at £105m. It will see GoFibre deliver
Powered by Ciena’s WaveLogic capabilities and deployed by Ciena partner, Willcom, WaveRouter will allow DFA to deliver greater scalability, flexibility, and sustainability by integrating 400 Gbps, 800 Gbps, and 1.6 Tbps services within a single router. By combining Ciena’s optical and routing technologies in a unified, multi- layer architecture, DFA can fully harness the advantages of coherent routing to build a simpler, more robust network. Additionally, Ciena’s Navigator Network Control Suite (Navigator NCS) provides DFA with one point of control to automate multi-layer network operations and scale wide area network (WAN) traffic, delivering capacity precisely when and where it’s needed.
high-speed broadband connections and download speeds to around 63,000 residents and businesses to parts of Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee, the Highlands, Moray and Perth and Kinross. The first connections are set to be delivered by summer 2026. Emtelle has partnered with GoFibre on its commercial network build, and to deliver previous contracts under Project Gigabit, which prioritise areas that are not commercially viable for broadband providers, including rural communities. Together GoFibre’s network now covers more than 120,000 premises across over 30 hard-to-reach areas in both Scotland and the North of England.
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ISSUE 42 | Q3 2025
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