Enterprise Network Infrastructure: Design, Performance & Security

Digital infrastructure boosts rural development in Guizhou

The province of Guizhou has reached the top ranks in base station numbers and 5G coverage in China. Digital infrastructure like base stations forms a strong economic foundation and stimulates rural development. Under the guidance of national strategies like Digital China and Broadband China, Guizhou continues to enhance communications network construction. Robust 4G, 5G, and 5G-A networks have enabled mountainous villages and ancient towns in Guizhou to overcome geographical and communications barriers. These upgrades have made life more convenient for local residents, stimulated rural economic growth, and enabled local intangible cultural heritage to reach a wider audience, ensuring shared benefits from digitalisation for all. Guizhou is one of China's first national big data pilot regions. To date, China Mobile has built nearly 200,000 base stations in the province, including more than 70,000 5G base stations. Now all of Guizhou's administrative villages and high-speed rail lines are covered by 5G. Special coverage assurance is provided for key urban and rural areas, with gigabit broadband available in all townships. Connecting canyons with 5G-A to stimulate growth Economic and telecom development along the Huajiang Grand Canyon, which looks like a crack in the Earth, have long been constrained by the region's mountainous terrain. Now, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge has eliminated physical barriers, and the integrated communications networks built by Chinese multinational technology company Huawei and China Mobile provide a digital bridge for these villages. Working in the steep cliffs of the Huajiang Grand Canyon, Huawei and China Mobile innovatively used drones to deploy four 4G sites, four 5G sites, and 39 cells on the bridge and in its surrounding areas to provide 4G, 5G, and 5G–A connectivity for around 11,000 users. Field tests in hotspot areas like the Yundu Service Area have shown average 5G-A download speeds of up to 1500Mbps. Pan Cong, Network Engineer at China Mobile Guizhou, explains, "For Guizhou's complex mountainous terrain, we used drone-assisted lifting and installation to solve the challenge of building networks over cliffs and canyons where traditional construction methods cannot be applied." Improved transport and network infrastructure is stimulating and transforming the development of villages in the region. Residents of Xiaohuajiang Village now use high-speed networks for e-commerce and homestay businesses. In April 2026, the village had a total of 19 homestays, and its homestay revenue and tourist numbers increased three to fourfold year-on-year. Homestay owner Lin Guoquan says, "Now, more tourists can find out about our village through short videos and livestreaming. And many young people who used to work in other places have returned home to seek careers in the village." Digital technology helps conserve and promote the cultural heritage of ancient towns Digital enablement is happening in Guizhou's ancient towns as well. In Tianlong Tunpu Ancient Town, which has a history of more than 600 years, network construction was very difficult in the past due to the town's narrow streets and densely-packed stone buildings. Today, Huawei and China Mobile have used innovative solutions to build nine 4G base stations, eight 5G base stations, and one 5G-A base station to provide seamless network coverage in the town's core areas. With improved connectivity, residents in the town have started selling local products like chili peppers and batik items through livestreaming. This has resulted in a 15% increase in agricultural product sales and a 9% increase in resident income. Dixi Opera, a form of intangible cultural heritage, can now reach a wider audience through livestreaming. Relevant livestreams have already garnered more than 100,000 views. These developments have boosted local cultural tourism. From January to April 2026, the number of visitors to Tianlong Tunpu Ancient Town increased by two to three times year-on-year. Dixi Opera performer Zheng Ruhong comments, "Now, many people across the country know about Dixi Opera from livestreaming. Many young people who used to work in other places have returned home to learn this art. This ensures that this intangible cultural heritage can be preserved and passed down." Working together to promote digital inclusion and bridge the development divide On 29 May, China Mobile and Huawei jointly hosted the TECH Cares Digital and Intelligent Guizhou Roundtable Forum, which brought together representatives from carriers, enterprises, and international organisations. The attendees discussed how digital infrastructure enables rural development, intangible cultural heritage preservation, and sustainable development in the region, and explored new paths for inclusive digital development. Yang Mengmeng from China Mobile Guizhou stated that China Mobile Guizhou set up special teams to overcome the challenges of building networks in mountainous areas to serve local residents in Guizhou. The company has led the construction of a 'gigabit Guizhou', providing 5G coverage to all administrative villages and dual gigabit connections to all townships. Aleksei Savrasov from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) says, "For a remote enterprise, a signal bar is the difference between a local stall and a global market. Where the signal reaches, the economy follows." Huawei's Zhou Jianguo adds, "While physical bridges shorten distances, digital connections bridge digital gaps. Huawei will continue advancing technological innovation and open collaboration to provide remote areas with equal access to the digital world, so that they can share in the dividends of the digital era." By 2025, Huawei had worked with partners to provide digital connectivity for 170 million people in rural and remote areas in more than 80 countries and regions. Moving forwards, Huawei and China Mobile say they will continue to innovate in rural network technologies and provide digital skills training to help more regions bridge geographical and digital divides. This will allow more people to benefit from the digital and intelligent world. For more from Huawei, click here.

euNetworks launches quantum-safe connectivity service

euNetworks, a European bandwidth infrastructure company, has launched a new quantum-safe private connectivity service developed in collaboration with Adtran, a US manufacturer of networking and communications equipment. Called Quantum Shield, the service is designed to provide encrypted data centre connectivity for organisations with high security and compliance requirements across Europe. According to euNetworks, the platform combines dedicated optical infrastructure, real-time fibre monitoring, and quantum-resistant encryption technologies to protect sensitive data in transit. The company says the launch comes as businesses prepare for evolving cybersecurity regulations and post-quantum security requirements, including the EU’s post-quantum cryptography roadmap, DORA, and NIS2. Quantum Shield will be offered as an additional security layer for euNetworks’ Private Connect MOFN service, which provides managed private network infrastructure for enterprise customers. The new platform uses FSP 3000 technology from Adtran, alongside post-quantum cryptography aligned with standards from NIST. According to the companies, all traffic is encrypted automatically at Layer 1 across dedicated fibre infrastructure. Optical monitoring and encryption combined for data protection The deployment also incorporates Adtran’s ALM fibre monitoring technology, which is designed to detect and locate fibre-tapping events in real time. euNetworks says the combined system is intended to provide low-latency, high-throughput connectivity while giving customers greater visibility into how data is secured across the optical layer. Marisa Trisolino, CEO of euNetworks, says, “We’re committed to providing customers with connectivity that meets increasingly stringent security requirements and chose to partner with Adtran because they bring deep expertise in optical networking and a practical understanding of how private infrastructure is built and operated at scale.” Christoph Glingener, CTO of Adtran, adds, “By combining quantum-resilient encryption with real-time fibre monitoring, we’re helping euNetworks safeguard critical traffic without compromising performance or scalability.” The companies say the deployment reflects increasing demand for secure optical networking infrastructure as enterprises prepare for future cybersecurity challenges linked to quantum computing. For more from euNetworks, click here.

Via Licensing Alliance expands Voice Codec programme

US-based patent licensing platform Via Licensing Alliance has announced continued momentum for its Voice Codec patent pool, including the addition of a new unnamed licensee and new licensors, NovaVoice Limited and Cordial IP, further growing the programme’s patent stack and market penetration from its initial five, large global licensors. The addition of the new licensee, unnamed at this time, reflects growing industry adoption of the collaborative licensing pathway Via’s Voice Codec programme creates for accessing IP rights to critical voice technologies. It also reflects a growing market uptake of advanced voice technologies, including EVS and IVAS, driven by rising demand as 5G and 5G-Advanced technologies are adopted worldwide. Additionally, Via says it continues to prioritise transparency and has published its full rate structure for the Voice Codec pool, providing further clarity and predictability for implementers and to the broader market. For implementers, the full rate structure allows for complete visibility as they consider the appropriate royalty structure to choose from to meet their product level costs, evaluate future growth paths for their product lines, or plan their geographical expansion plan needs. This level of disclosure not only reduces uncertainty in licensing decisions but also enables more consistent benchmarking, reinforcing confidence in fair, market-aligned SEP licensing practices. The programme’s royalty rates are listed on Via’s website. Anticipating future growth The addition of the new licensors indicates increased interest from patent holders in licensing their voice technology SEPs through highly efficient, aggregated licensing vehicles such as patent pools. Future growth in both the licensor list and the number of patents consolidated through the pool licence will continue to enhance the value of the Voice Codec licence for implementers. Via’s Voice Codec programme licensors are listed on the website. Via’s Voice Codec pool covers Enhanced Voice Services (EVS), which supports voice communications across more than one billion (and growing) active devices globally, as well as Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS), which will play a central role in next-generation voice and spatial audio applications. Kevin Mack, President of Via Licensing Alliance, says, “We are pleased to welcome these new entrants to our pool, which signals continued growth and momentum our Voice Codec programme. "This pool licence offers strong value relative to other market options and represents the only collaborative licensing solution for EVS and IVAS technologies, making it a smart and efficient pathway for companies seeking to licence critical voice capabilities." EVS remains a foundational technology for high-quality voice communications in 5G and 5G-Advanced networks, with adoption continuing to expand as 5G, 5G-Advanced, and future network iterations reach global scale. As spatial audio and advanced voice technologies expand into 6G and a broader range of non-cellular devices, the importance of IVAS technologies is expected to increase, with Via’s pool offering an early and effective licensing pathway. For more information about the Voice Codec patent pool, including information for prospective licensees, you can click here to visit the website.

Eastern Light expands Nordic fibre capacity

Eastern Light, a Stockholm-based independent operator building and owning long-haul dark fibre submarine cable routes, has started construction of the Nordic Corridor, a new subsea fibre cable system connecting Sweden and Finland. The project includes the SF-II subsea connection and represents an investment of approximately €30 million (£26 million). Combined with the company’s existing SF-I cable system, the Nordic Corridor is intended to increase digital communications capacity between the two countries. Eastern Light currently operates the SF-I subsea cable between Sweden and Finland, which contains 144 fibres. The new SF-II system will add a further 288 fibres through a combination of terrestrial and subsea infrastructure. According to the company, the expanded system is designed to meet increasing demand for digital capacity across the Nordic and Baltic regions, particularly as data centre development accelerates. Mikael Vesterlund, COO of Eastern Light, says, “We are seeing rapidly growing demand for digital capacity in the Baltic Sea region, driven primarily by investments in data centres across the Nordics. "Several of the existing cable systems are old and are beginning to reach full utilisation. That is why we need to expand digital capacity between the countries. The Nordic Corridor is an important step in meeting this development.” New cable route designed around resilience Eastern Light says the SF-II deployment will take place in several phases. The first stage, extending to Finnish territorial waters near the Åland archipelago, was completed in May. The company states that the cable route has been designed to remain within national waters, reducing risks associated with international routes and simplifying future repair work if required. Eastern Light also says the Nordic Corridor is owned and financed by Nordic stakeholders. Mikael continues, “The Nordic Corridor is a project of critical importance to society. In the event of security incidents, data must be able to take alternative routes. "That is why we are now strengthening the robustness of the system by building a new fibre connection between Sweden and Finland. More cables are needed.” The SF-II project will span approximately 480km and has an estimated operational lifespan of around 50 years. The subsea cable itself will weigh approximately 566 metric tonnes.

'External threats a rising cause of outages for data centres'

External infrastructure failures and outages linked to fibre and connectivity issues are becoming more prominent for data centres, according to new research from the Uptime Institute, a US-based independent data centre standards and certification body. Despite that, on-site outages for data centres have declined for the fifth consecutive year, with approximately one in 10 noting that their last outages had a serious or severe impact. The cost of major outages continued to rise, with 57% stating that their most recent major outage cost over $100,000 (£74,800) and one in five reporting a cost of over $1 million (£748,000). Richard Petrie, CTO of the London Internet Exchange (LINX), comments, “Networking and connectivity continue to sit at the top of the most common causes of IT outages, reinforcing the importance of resilience in this area. "As organisations face growing pressure from network congestion, external threats, and increasing reliance on third-party providers, resilience across both network and data centre infrastructure is becoming critical. "While it’s encouraging to see on-site outages declining as infrastructure providers continue to prioritise resilience, the risks posed by external failures mean organisations still need robust redundancy policies in place for when outages do occur. "The backbone of a strong redundancy strategy is a secondary fabric that allows data to be rerouted during periods of disruption or risk, helping organisations remain operational even when the primary network is compromised. "By providing multiple options to route traffic, organisations can strengthen resilience and help networks stay online.” Power failures a contributing a factor The leading cause of impactful outages was power, with failures involving UPS systems, transfer switches, and generators remaining prominent. Worsening grid constraints and high-density workloads were also found to contribute to outages as a newer challenge. To adapt, the research outlined that operators are adapting investment strategies towards automation and control systems in order to manage complexity, despite acknowledging that more automation can cause different classes of problems. In line with the causes of outages, resilience assessments were found to focus more on internal systems than on external and systemic risks. Andy Lawrence, founding member and Executive Director of Uptime Intelligence, says, “Outages overall have slowed down and, overall, digital infrastructure is remarkably resilient. But further resiliency gains are becoming harder to achieve. “We believe that over time, failures will increasingly not be the result of a single point of failure, but instead be linked to complex interactions between systems, including software, networks, and external dependencies. "While site-based electrical and mechanical infrastructure remain a critical building block that needs to be resilient, digital infrastructure is becoming more distributed with outages originating outside the data centre, including those tied to power availability, network connectivity, or the reliance on external cloud services playing a larger role.”

Zayo Europe expands network into Genoa

Network infrastructure provider Zayo Europe has expanded its Southern European network with a new point of presence (PoP) in Genoa, Italy, strengthening connectivity between Mediterranean subsea cable systems and its terrestrial fibre network. The new point of presence is located within Quadrivium Digital’s QGEN01 facility and extends Zayo Europe’s existing Italian footprint alongside sites in Milan and Rome. According to the company, Genoa is becoming an increasingly important landing point for subsea cable systems connecting Europe with Asia (including the Middle East) and Africa. Zayo Europe says the expansion is intended to support growing traffic flows across the Mediterranean region while providing alternative connectivity routes into major European hubs including Frankfurt and Paris, as well as interconnection points in Barcelona and Lisbon. Subsea connectivity expanding network diversity The company states that the new route options are designed to provide additional network diversity and reduce reliance on traditional connectivity routes through Marseille. Quadrivium Digital says the deployment also gives customers within the QGEN01 facility direct access to Zayo Europe’s wider network and more than 600 connected data centres across Europe. Aditya Ayyagari, CEO of Quadrivium Digital, comments, “This partnership positions QGEN01 as a key interconnection hub in the Mediterranean ecosystem. “By combining direct access to new subsea systems with Zayo Europe’s diverse terrestrial routes, we are enabling customers to efficiently reach key traffic hubs like Barcelona and Lisbon, as well as the US, while achieving greater route diversity and lower latency across global networks.” Colman Deegan, CEO of Zayo Europe, adds, “The digital map of Europe is evolving and our expansion into Genoa is a direct response to our customers’ need for greater resilience and choice. “By connecting this important Mediterranean landing point to our 400G-enabled backbone, we are creating a seamless bridge between subsea systems and our terrestrial infrastructure. "Ultimately, this ensures our customers have access to the scalable, high-capacity connectivity required to support the next wave of cloud and AI-driven growth.” For more from Zayo Europe, click here.

NEC completes Pacific submarine cable system

Japanese multinational technology company NEC Corporation has completed construction of the East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS), a submarine cable network linking the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, and Nauru. The approximately 2,250km cable system connects Tarawa in Kiribati to Nauru, before extending to Kosrae and Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. The infrastructure has now been handed over to FSM Telecommunications Cable Corporation, Bwebweriki Net Limited, and Cenpac Corporation. According to NEC, the project provides the first optical submarine cable connection for Kosrae, Tarawa, and Nauru, which had previously relied primarily on satellite communications. The company says the new cable system is designed to improve internet connectivity, reliability, and latency across the region, supporting applications including video communications and digital payment services. Submarine cable boosts regional connectivity The EMCS project was supported by the governments of Australia, Japan, and the United States through grant funding initiatives focused on Pacific infrastructure development. Gordon Segal, Chief Executive Officer of FSM Telecommunications Cable Corporation and Chairman of the EMCS Management Committee, comments, “Kosrae was the only state in the FSM without a submarine cable connection. "We are truly delighted that the construction of the EMCS has now provided digital connectivity to all four states of the FSM. “This infrastructure development not only advances the digitalisation of the regional economy, but also dramatically improves residents' access to information and services. "NEC's strong execution capabilities and high reliability have been essential to the project’s success, and we hold them in high regard.” Bwanouia Aberaam, Officer in Charge of Bwebweriki Net, adds, “We are pleased to see the completion of resilient communications infrastructure in Kiribati and the Micronesia region. "With this vital foundation supporting the digitalisation of the regional economy now in place, access to diverse information and essential services will significantly improve going forward.” Zikki Eoe, Chairlady of Cenpac Corporation, notes, “This project is Nauru's first undersea cable, enabling the provision of high-speed, reliable internet services to residents. We have high expectations that this will significantly accelerate Nauru's economic development and digitalisation going forwards.” Tomonori Uematsu, Managing Director of NEC’s Submarine Network Division, concludes, “We are truly delighted to have completed this new telecommunications infrastructure in the Pacific Island region. "We consider it a highly significant achievement that NEC's long-established optical submarine cable technology has helped strengthen the region's communications environment, contributing to the realisation of safe and prosperous lives.” NEC states that it has installed more than 400,000km of submarine cable infrastructure globally during its 60 years in the sector.

Lightpath announces new long-haul US fibre route

Lightpath, a New York-based fibre network and connectivity provider, has announced plans to build a new long-haul fibre route in the US, connecting Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. The approximately 392-mile (630-kilometre) route will include 327 miles (526 kilometres) of newly constructed underground multi-conduit fibre infrastructure spanning three US states. According to Lightpath, the project will be delivered in phases, with full end-to-end completion targeted for the end of 2028. The company says the route will connect two rapidly growing North American data centre markets and will incorporate eight LightCube Data Centers facilities, including seven new sites. Lightpath states that the infrastructure will support services including conduit access, dark fibre, colocation, high-capacity wavelengths, and connectivity services for hyperscale, carrier, and enterprise customers. New long-haul route for AI infrastructure growth Chris Morley, CEO of Lightpath, comments, “The Columbus-to-Chicago corridor reflects sustained hyperscale demand for high-capacity, long-haul fibre built to production-grade standards. “Connecting two of the world’s fastest-growing data centre markets on our own, purpose-built infrastructure positions Lightpath to support the next generation of AI and cloud workloads at scale.” According to the company, the new route builds on existing fibre infrastructure in Columbus and follows its acquisition of a 323-mile (520-kilometre) fibre system between New York and Ashburn in late 2024. The southern section of the route, connecting Columbus and South Bend, is expected to be the first phase brought online. Tim Haverkate, Chief Commercial Officer at Lightpath, suggests, “Building this corridor from the ground up - on a timeline driven by a real anchor award - demonstrates what our team is capable of delivering.” Lightpath says it is also assessing additional in-line amplifier locations along the route to support future capacity expansion. For more from Lightpath, click here.

Siemon's DACs, AOCs, and Transceivers: Why validation matters

Siemon's comprehensive range of Direct Attach Cables (DACs), Active Optical Cables (AOCs), and optical transceivers delivers the high-speed interconnects modern data centres demand. Supporting speeds from 10G through to 400G and beyond, these pluggable solutions offer the flexibility and density needed to keep pace with today's AI-driven workloads and mission-critical applications. However, deploying these components without proper validation is a costly risk. Malfunctioning transceivers can cause high bit-error rates, loss of connectivity, slow network performance, and reduced signal strength - yet many discarded transceivers are in perfect working condition, presumed faulty without proper diagnosis. This is where the EXFO FTBx-88480 proves indispensable. Powered by EXFO's iOptics application, it assesses transceiver health in under three minutes, supporting OSFP, QSFP28, QSFP56, SFP28, AOC, and DAC form factors. The result: validated Siemon infrastructure, reduced waste, and lower operational costs. Networks Centre is a distributor for both EXFO and Siemon, and the company says its technical support team would be happy to advise on the right products to meet your requirements. Find out more at Networks Centre's website or get in touch via email at enquiries@networkscentre.com or by phone on +44 (0)1403 754233. For more from Networks Centre, click here.

RETN expands Balkans fibre backbone

RETN, an independent global network service provider, has launched a new backbone route connecting Drobeta, Bucharest, Iași, and Chișinău, creating an additional connectivity path across Romania and into Moldova. Delivered as a single, end-to-end backbone route, the expansion provides an alternative physical connectivity option to existing regional IP transit corridors in Eastern Europe. The new route forms part of RETN’s wider strategy to expand its optical network infrastructure across Central and Eastern Europe. By linking Romania and Moldova with the company’s existing Balkans corridor between Budapest, Timișoara, and Sofia, the project introduces additional geographical route diversity across the region. The backbone also enables alternative routing into Ukraine via Moldova and into the Balkans through Bulgaria, offering additional routing options for regional and international traffic flows. New routing options across Eastern Europe Olena Lutsenko, Business Development Director at RETN, comments, “This project is an important step in strengthening connectivity resilience in Romania. “Bucharest and Iași are rapidly developing hubs for business, education, and technology, and demand for resilient, high-capacity infrastructure is rising fast. “By delivering a direct route from Timișoara to Bucharest and onward to Chișinău, we are enabling faster, more scalable access to the region from the Balkans, Ukraine, and Central and Eastern Europe in general - for operators, ISPs, enterprises, and international customers.” The expansion comes amid continued fibre infrastructure growth across Romania and Eastern Europe. According to the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications of Romania (ANCOM), Romania recorded 6.9 million fixed broadband connections in mid-2025, with 37% capable of gigabit speeds. The regulator also reported continued growth in demand for ultra-high-speed internet services and increasing fixed broadband traffic per capita. Internet adoption across Romania was estimated at approximately 94% of the population in late 2025. For more from RETN, click here.