Netnod invests in Scandinavia with new wavelength technology for improved fiber capacity

Netnod is strengthening the digital infrastructure in the Nordic region by establishing its own wavelength network, based on DWDM technology. Following a comprehensive evaluation, the Scandinavian company Smartoptics has been selected as the strategic partner for this initiative. The investment will provide Netnod with full control over its infrastructure and a higher level of robustness, resilience, and redundancy.

The new network will connect the most important Scandinavian hubs in a robust ring structure. The routes covered by the expansion are:

• Stockholm – Malmö
• Malmö – Gothenburg
• Gothenburg – Oslo
• Oslo – Stockholm

By taking direct control over the optical infrastructure and operating the network independently, Netnod gains full control over capacity and management. Among other things, Netnod will be able to offer its time services with an even higher degree of precision and improved redundancy than before, which is becoming increasingly important as critical societal functions are digitalized.

- "The new Scandinavian DWDM ring strengthens Netnod’s position as a leading provider of highly reliable infrastructure. Choosing Smartoptics as our strategic partner gives us greater control over our infrastructure and an even higher level of robustness and resilience. We recognize a lot of ourselves in Smartoptics, especially the openness in how they work with us, the priority given to sustainable technology usage, and how ambitious they are about the level of support and partnership behind this", says Karin Ahl, CEO, Netnod.

Following a comprehensive evaluation of several suppliers, Smartoptics was chosen as the partner, based on their reliable technology and expertise in open optical networking solutions. With their hardware in place, a solution is created that offers a high degree of flexibility and the ability to quickly adapt the infrastructure to the market's increasing demands for availability and security, fully in line with Netnod's focus on a future-proof and independent infrastructure.

- "We are proud to support Netnod's mission to keep the Nordic internet open, independent and reliable through this strategic initiative – especially at a time when digital resilience has never mattered more. What struck me about this process is that the evaluation was one of the most thorough and transparent we have ever participated in. Our partnership is not only a strong commercial match but also strongly aligned on values, as two ambitious Scandinavian organizations with high standards for what we build and how we support it",says Magnus Grenfeldt, CEO, Smartoptics.

DWDM stands for Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing and is a wavelength technology for optical networks. The technology makes it possible to optimize the capacity in existing fiber cables by dividing the light into different wavelengths. Each wavelength acts as a completely independent channel for data traffic.

For further information, please contact:
Henrik Ishihara
Head of External Communications and Public Policy
ishihara@netnod.se
+46 70 723 67 96

Netnod provides critical infrastructure services essential for an open, secure and robust Internet. These range from interconnection services and Internet Exchanges to time services, domain management, DNS services and root server operations. With a global reputation for technical expertise, Netnod ensures the robustness of the digital ecosystem in the Nordics and beyond. As an operator-neutral provider, Netnod is owned by the non-profit foundation TU-stiftelsen (Stiftelsen för Telematikens utveckling), ensuring a focus on long-term infrastructure stability.

Smartoptics provides innovative optical networking solutions and devices for the new era of open networking. Our customer base includes thousands of enterprises, governments, cloud providers, Internet exchanges as well as cable and telecom operators. We have an open networking approach in everything we do which allows our customers to break unwanted vendor lock-in, remain flexible and minimize costs. Our solutions are used in metro and regional network applications that increasingly rely on data center
services and specifications. Smartoptics is a Scandinavian company founded in 2006. We partner with leading technology and network solution providers such as Brocade, Cisco and Dell and have a global reach through more than 100 business partners.
For additional information about Smartoptics, please visit https://www.smartoptics.com/