In order to meet the growing demand from local clients in India and other markets, telecom equipment manufacturer Nokia announced on Thursday that it will move the production of Passive Optical Network (PON) optical line terminals (OLTs) to its factory in Sriperumbudur, close to Chennai.
The company stated in a statement announcing the new action that changes in consumer behaviour, such as the transition from home working to data-rich entertainment services, are fuelling demand for broadband.
In response to rising demand, Nokia is expanding its production capacity into Chennai being a participant in the government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) programme. With the Asia-Pacific region seeing significant demand in countries like Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, the need for fibre is also shifting to new geographical areas.
Since mobile network operators (MNOs) are deploying 5G and need next-generation fibre in their transport networks to handle the anticipated increase in data traffic, FTTH will account for a large portion of this demand. However, there is also a considerable demand from MNOs.
In India, there is a significant demand for fibre connectivity from both fixed and mobile carriers, according to Sanjay Malik, Senior Vice President and Head of the India Market at Nokia. He went on to add that the Chennai plant’s OLT output will give them a boost in time to meet this demand. The enhanced accessibility of both current Lightspan product lines and forthcoming GPON access nodes, which provide smaller, lower-density OLTs to suit a variety of situations and requirements, will hugely benefit service providers in India.
According to the company, Governments and private equity groups around the world are providing significant funding to match this demand, which is encouraging investments in broadband and fibre infrastructure. Also, Nokia’s planned production of PON OLTs in India will give a boost to expand the company’s production base and geographic reach.
