Mobifone deploys 300Gbps packet-optical backbone

Vietnam’s second largest mobile operator Mobifone has constructed its fist high-capacity converged packet-optical backbone network using equipment from Ciena.

The operator has deployed a network spaning more than 1,400km from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. The network currently has a capacity of 300Gbps.

Mobifone plans to use the network to provide high-speed mobile broadband services to businesses and consumers in more than two dozen provinces.

“Ciena’s cutting-edge optical platforms enable us to have a state-of-art backbone system. Demand for high-speed fixed and mobile data services, video content and the move to the cloud mean that network services in Vietnam have never been more important,” Mobifone chairman Le Nam Tra said.

“With Ciena supporting the next evolution of the MobiFone backbone we can provide the scale and reach our consumer and business customers need for regional and international connectivity.”

MobiFone is currently a state-owned operator but is undergoing a privatization process. The company is seeking an international partner to take up to a 49% stake as part of this process, and international operators including Australia’s Telstra, Norway’s Telenor and Sweden’s Comviq have reportedly expressed an interest in making the investment.

A recent report  from the Australian Financial Review indicates that Telstra is seen as a good fit as a formerly state-owned operator that has gone through the privatization process.

Sources told the publication that Telstra met with Vietnamese officials in May to discuss a potential deal.