Nokia, ZCorum partner to deploy PON solutions

Nokia has partnered with ZCorum, a provider of managed broadband services and software. The partnership empowers small and medium-sized cable operators to easily deploy Nokia’s industry-leading PON solutions in their access networks. This allows them to quickly address growing bandwidth demands, introduce new services, and respond to competitive pressures.

Using Zcorum’s fully hosted, cloud-based OSS, which is now integrated with Nokia’s fiber access solution, local and regional cable operators can significantly accelerate their roll outs of Nokia GPON, XGS-PON and 25G PON networks by eliminating the need for time-consuming integration and on-boarding.

ZCorum will entirely manage the solution, which incorporates Nokia’s Altiplano Access Controller, letting operators focus on other critical aspects of their business.

ZCorum has already been contracted by multiple cable operators – including Sjoberg’s Cable in Thief River Falls, MN and Limestone Cablevision in Maysville, KY – to deploy Nokia’s PON products including Optical Line Terminals (OLTs), Optical Network Terminals (ONTs), and Wi-Fi Beacons. They will also use ZCorum's application interface to create and manage their fiber packages, which will then be activated using an Altiplano Access Controller hosted and managed by ZCorum.

13 million Nokia OLT ports and more than 140 million Nokia ONTs have been deployed in networks around the world while seven out of ten fiber broadband connections in North America are made through Nokia equipment.

According to Dell’Oro, in 2022 Nokia was the market share leader for XGS-PON equipment, today’s gold-standard for fiber broadband. For cable operators serving enterprises, pre-aggregating DOCSIS nodes on PON can deliver 40% lower total cost of ownership and require 35% less power and floor space than point-to-point networks.

Many Nokia PON networks are managed with Altiplano, an open and programmable platform offering a complete suite of network management functions and software-defined networking (SDN) controls.

Arthur Skinner, Vice President of Worldwide Sales at ZCorum, said: "Nokia is a great partner for us to work with. Together we now provide an economical, turn-key solution for small to mid-sized operators deploying Nokia fiber that reduces their upfront costs, significantly speeds time to market, and makes ongoing network management effortless.”

Mark Klimek, North America Business Center Head for Fixed Networks at Nokia, said “ZCorum has been an excellent channel partner, and we are excited to further extend our relationship with the integration of Nokia’s Altiplano into their OSS. Together, we are making it even easier for cable operators of all sizes to deploy Nokia PON solutions with which they can respond to and preempt competitors, expand revenue-generating services, and better serve their customers.”