TM R&D inks Mou with ZTE to collaborate on optical network research

• Both parties will collaborate to bring 50Gbps bandwidth to Malaysia
• Explore capabilities of next-gen Passive Optical Network access technology

Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ZTE (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd (ZTE), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, to collaborate on optical network research, bringing the first 50Gbps bandwidth experience to Malaysia.

In a statement, the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia (TM) said under this agreement both parties will jointly explore the capabilities of next-generation Passive Optical Network (PON) access technology, 50GPON, to support various application scenarios.

It said they will also look into use cases that can deliver ultra-broadband access to the government, enterprise and consumers. 

This includes supporting the requirements of innovative services such as 5G, Cloud Virtual Reality (VR), industrial intelligent manufacturing for high bandwidth, low latency & jitter, and clock synchronisation, all of which will enhance the user experience in Malaysia, it added.

Commenting on the MoU, Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, CEO, TM R&D said the company is committed to conducting research on future technologies and innovating new value-added smarter eco-systems that will improve the quality of user experience, and ultimately bring a positive impact on their lives. 

“This fits well into the TM Group’s transformation towards becoming a human-centred TechCo,” she added.

“We are very excited to partner with a renowned global player such as ZTE to innovate on future generation PON technology in line with the global trend and technology roadmap,” Sharlene said.

Meanwhile, Steven Ge, CEO, ZTE Malaysia said with gigabit home broadband services widely used in Malaysia at present, and the basic fixed network is in the time window of evolution from GPON to 10G PON, this partnership could not have come at a better time.”

“ZTE is pleased with the opportunity to collaborate with TM R&D on future research in next-generation PON technology supporting Digital Malaysia,” he added.