Europe’s Telco JT Group Taps ECI to Upgrage Network to the Channel Islands

ECI, a global provider of ELASTIC Network solutions for global service providers, critical infrastructures and data center operators has been selected by JT (JT Group), to upgrade the Jersey-based telecommunications company’s optical network.

When choosing a provider to upgrade the optical network, JT’s requirements were twofold: First, address capacity goals in the short-term, then ensure the network can meet future business services and 5G backhaul needs.

JT required a solution with the ability to not only solve capacity issues, but also provide 10G B to B services, 10GbE data center connectivity and 8G fiber channel. The solution needed to be based on a scalable and agile framework in order to ensure that JT customers could expect the same quality of connectivity they receive today well into the future, even as demands fluctuate and networking evolves.

“JT’s customers in the Channel Islands already have access to a world class full-fiber network, one of the fastest in the world,” said Marcus Irwin, Head of Solution Design & Innovation at JT. “We needed to ensure that every step of the process was carefully planned, and our unique geographical challenges and strategic goals understood so as to maintain a level of service that our customers already enjoy. It’s no easy task to solve for both today’s and tomorrow’s networking needs, but with ECI’s technical expertise and flexibility we are better equipped to scale to future networking demands and deliver the quality services our customers expect of us.”

The ECI solution features a range of products from its Apollo optical portfolio, including the Apollo 9904, 9603 and 9608, which will carry 100G traffic between JT’s 6 core sites on and between the Islands. The Apollo product line was designed for ultimate flexibility and scalability, with interchangeable cards, multi-port cards which offer additional capabilities and multi-service ports which can be provisioned for a wide variety of protocols and speeds.

“With 5G afoot, many today are confronted with the task of balancing immediate network upgrade needs with the demands expected of tomorrow’s networks,” said Christian Erbe, VP Sales Europe at ECI. “Working alongside JT, we understood the importance of ensuring seamless connection to the Channel Island communities and doing so with a tailored, flexible and future-proof solution. Above all, we are proud to see our ‘as you like it’ approach to optical networking play an important role in helping them meet their networking goals both today and long into the future.”

Founded in 1888, JT is a government-owned full-service global consumer and business enterprise provider headquartered in the Channel Islands. It provides a range of world-class services, including voice and data telecommunications, IoT connectivity, open roaming, messaging, fraud protection, eGaming, data hosting, fully managed services and cloud-based support.

JT employs more than 600 people across 7 global locations, is a leader in IoT connectivity with more than 2.5 million SIMs active worldwide and provides products and services to over 3,000 enterprise customers.

In 2018, JT completed a full-fiber network in Jersey, making the island the first jurisdiction in the world to have 100% of premises with broadband connected to full-Fibre. With the addition of an advanced award-winning 4G mobile network in Jersey and Guernsey and plans underway for a 5G network; JT has ensured that the Channel Islands, a leading International Finance Centre, are one of the most seamlessly connected places in the world.

JT’s purpose is to become the partner of choice for global telecommunications innovation having already built long-standing partnerships with leading communications businesses to deliver the products and services expected from a full-service world-class communications provider. Notably, JT holds Avaya Platinum Partner Status, is a member of Dimension Data’s One Cloud Alliance, is a Cisco Premier Partner and a certified Advanced Collaboration Architecture Specialist Service Provider.