UK ISP Call Flow Upgrading Network with 10Gbps FTTH Broadband Kit

Alternative network ISP Call Flow Solutions has signed a new deal that will see it deploying ADTRAN’s next generation 10Gbps (Gigabits per second) symmetric Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH/P) broadband solution, which is based off the latest XGS-PON (ITU-T G.9807.1) standard.

The announcement almost makes it sound as if Call Flow intends to upgrade their entire customer base with 10Gbps FTTH services, which would include their existing FTTP, FTTC and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) deployments. However this is not the case and the XGS-PON upgrade is focused on their core network and new FTTH roll-outs (further details expected towards the end of summer).

The broadband ISP, which serves various locations around Kent, East Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire (Southern England), is known to be planning a strategic expansion over the next 5-10 years and so it makes sense for them to prepare their network for demands that might surface over the longer term.

Ronan Kelly, CTO for EMEA & APAC at ADTRAN, said:

“Call Flow has a leading vision for multi-Gigabit broadband services to better enable their communities for the global marketplace and to improve individual customers’ lives. Its strategic choice of XGS-PON is foundational to its ambition to be a prominent FTTH player in the UK market.

This deployment adds to the global momentum building around 10 Gigabit PON as the primary access technology of choice for operators in developed broadband markets. Rapidly and cost-effectively satisfying subscriber demand and government targets, XGS-PON is the breakthrough the FTTH industry has been waiting for.”

Andy Conibere, CEO at Call Flow, said:

“ADTRAN’s global leadership in Gigabit broadband solutions made it the ideal choice to address the rising bandwidth demands we anticipate for the next 5–10 years and beyond.

Its commitment to modern software-based, open architectures reinforced our view that it was the right partner for us. As Call Flow expands to answer more of the pent-up demand for Gigabit broadband services throughout the UK, XGS-PON will be essential to future-proofing our competitive advantage and delivering maximum value to our residential and business customers, as well as our investors.”

Anybody who wants to know more about Call Flow should check out the interview that we conducted with their CEO last year (here). As part of that Andy did confirm that “[We are] planning to deploy proportionally more FTTP in the future,” which is supported by today’s announcement.

It’s worth pointing out that Openreach (BT) has also been playing around with implementations of XGS-PON since last year (here) and this year they’ve gone even further by testing a 100Gbps FTTP/H service (here). Not that any homes actually NEED or could make full use of Gigabit speeds today but it’s nice to know that operators are thinking about the future.

Speaking of multi-Gigabit speeds, Gigaclear has already tested a live 5Gbps service and a lot of modern FTTP/H providers in the UK could potentially also do 10Gbps if / when the demand for that exists.