KCOM and Grain Connect Sign Deals to Use DZS Full Fibre Kit

Fibre optic supplier DZS appears have become one of the success stories in the post-Huawei era. The company has recently agreed new supply deals with a number of UK broadband ISPs, including KCOM and Grain Connect, which will help the providers to rollout their 1Gbps+ Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks.

In the case of Grain, we’re only told that DZS will be supplying them with point-to-point Ethernet architecture to support their symmetric speed full fibre rollout. Grain itself, which is being supported by an investment of £10m in additional equity finance from Albion Capital (Albion Real Assets Fund), tends to focus on catering for new build homes and large apartment blocks in England.

“As we look to rapidly grow our network, DZS fibre access technology has offered our residential customers superior density and exceptional reliability, which means less downtime and lower maintenance costs,” said Rich Robinson, MD of Grain. “Whether we are going into new or existing communities, we have been able to quickly and cost effectively deliver ‘true fiber’ and symmetrical gigabit broadband.”

Meanwhile DZS has recently expanded their existing relationship with KCOM, which is currently investing another £100m in order to extend their own gigabit FTTP broadband network across “tens of thousands” of additional premises in East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

The DZS Kit KCOM Use

— The DZS V5816 OLT is architected to connect rural areas to high-speed broadband services cost effectively. The kit adopts a compact design, making it easy to install even in confined spaces and can be expanded modularly as required.

— The DZS 2424A1 GPON [ONT] smart fibre indoor gateway acts as KCOM’s demarcation point at the premises, allowing KCOM to service the subscriber or provide wholesale services.

— With fiber connectivity established, KCOM can also leverage complementary 10Gbps DZS XGS-PON solutions in the future across this same infrastructure.

Dale Raneberg, CEO at KCOM, said:

“We have been making significant investments to expand KCOM’s full fibre footprint beyond our traditional boundaries and to bring this vital infrastructure to thousands more homes and businesses in the area. DZS has been a valued, long-standing partner to KCOM for over 20 years.

Leveraging some of the latest DZS technologies in our network has provided us with the flexibility needed to meet the challenge of extending our build into adjacent communities and enabled us to support even more homes and businesses experiencing stay-at-home orders and lockdowns.”

A number of other fibre suppliers, such as ADTRAN, have also seen a boost since the UK government decided to ban Huawei from the market.