Smartoptics Group AS

Regulatory Filings • Jul 12, 2023

B4RN brings 400G to rural UK with Smartoptics

B4RN brings 400G to rural UK with Smartoptics

Oslo, Norway - July 12, 2023 - Smartoptics, a leading provider of optical

networking solutions, today announced that Broadband for the Rural North Ltd

(B4RN) has partnered with Smartoptics to upgrade its rural UK core network to

400G. The upgrade project will make the network future-proof through 2030 with

flexible and cost-effective network solutions.

B4RN was launched in 2011 to bring world-leading full fiber broadband speeds to

underserved rural areas in the UK. As a community benefit society, any surplus

made is put back into the communities. The rural UK Internet service provider

(ISP) performs a major network upgrade every seven years. The goal is to choose

future-proof solutions that will last until the next upgrade project.

Smartoptics equipment has already been deployed in the past. Building on this

past success, B4RN turned to Smartoptics once again to upgrade its entire

backbone network.

The upgrade project aims to support 400G in the rural core network with new dark

fiber extending about 650 km creating a ring around the north of the UK between

Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds. Smartoptics open line systems along with 10G

and 400G optics were selected to future-proof the network through 2030.

"Cost efficiency, quality and reliability were key decision criteria for us.

Smartoptics products were the best option we could find, meeting these criteria

brilliantly and effectively meeting our needs for everything from 10G to 400G.

We also appreciate the plug-and-play setup and ease of use. But as much as we

like the products, our close relationship with Smartoptics is no less important.

Smartoptics has been there for us as we continue to grow and bring greater

connectivity to underserved communities," Tom Rigg, COO, B4RN.

Distances between nodes in the backbone network range from about 40 to 100 km -

typical of a rural operating environment and longer than many metro networks.

Smartoptics supports rural internet service providers in meeting their needs,

including these distances, and provides a 24/7 direct line to engineers for

support.

"At Smartoptics we actively seek out and cater to rural providers that other

optical networking vendors tend to disregard. Our cost efficiency, open values

and close collaboration have been appreciated by rural providers across the UK,

America and Continental Europe. We are very proud to be a part of what B4RN has

accomplished, and I have no doubt that they will continue to be a source of

inspiration for many, including us, going forward," says Paul Joseph, Sales

director UK & Ireland, Smartoptics.

For more information please contact:

Magnus Grenfeldt

CEO

Smartoptics

+46 73-366 88 77

E-mail: magnus.grenfeldt@smartoptics.com

About Smartoptics

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/

About B4RN

Broadband for the Rural North Ltd (B4RN) is an ISP which is run as a Community

Benefit Society, we have committed to reach the hardest to reach in the rural

environment. We are at the forefront of innovation and technology, and with our

world class network we are competing toe to toe with the major providers.

We have been building a gigabit (1,000Mbps) fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network

since 2011. It reaches into very remote parts of rural Lancashire, Cumbria,

Yorkshire, the Northeast, and Norfolk. All B4RN customers receive a 1GB

connection, with symmetrical up and download speeds, no matter what the tariff.

B4RN currently has more than 12,000 connected properties and is building at

pace. Our growth has been enabled through the various government voucher schemes

- providing funding for each eligible property connected.

At the heart of B4RN are our volunteers who help build the network in their

communities. Assisting our staff and contractors to plan the route, generate

interest, secure wayleaves, dig trenches, and connect homes.

For more information please visit b4rn.org.uk or email pr@b4rn.org.uk