ZTE Corporation a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions has on Wednesday signed a national optical backbone network contract with South African provider FibreCo.

The contract was signed by FibreCo President Andile Ngcaba and ZTE Senior Vice President Chen Jie. ZTE will solely construct phase one of the project, which includes 1,900 kilometers of fiber optic cable.

As part of the project, ZTE will deploy several hundred sets of WDM devices. This includes the next-generation ZXWM M920 unit, which employs industry-leading WSS ROADM and 10G/40G transmission technologies and is upgradeable to 100G. In addition, built-in network planning software will enhance network management and planning, making efficient use of FibreCo resources while increasing network reliability and flexibility, thereby cutting capital and operating expenses.

“This landmark investment will provide affordable, reliable and fast Internet access to ordinary South Africans,” said FibreCo President Andile Ngcaba,

“ZTE is committed to supplying effective solutions for its customers,” remarked Ms. Chen. “We are proud to assist with improving telecommunications for South Africans.”