According to executives at the Capacity Europe East event in Sofia this week, Colt plans to launch the network expansion by the end of 2018. It will use fibre from existing carriers, said executives.
The network will be extended from Colt’s existing point of presence in Klagenfurt, Austria, eastwards towards Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest to Sofia, and then back through Belgrade and Zagreb before completing the ring in Klagenfurt.
Executives were talking to carriers at the Sofia event about using fibre to create the network. It is not thought that Colt will construct its own fibre, said executives at the event.
Later Colt will look at extending from Bulgaria across the Turkish border towards Istanbul, said one executive at the event.
Colt will use Ciena network equipment and will incorporate the eastern Europe extension into its Colt IQ network.
Speaking at a roundtable at Capacity Europe East, Colt’s Ruth Welter told executives from other carriers that the company had identified a demand from multinational enterprises, from China and the US, that were looking for business in the region.
“There are a lot of Chinese investments here. These are all prospective customers for us. This is the place to be,” said Welter, who is Colt’s wholesale sales director for the DACH – Germany, Austria, Switzerland – area. However, her responsibilities have been extended across eastern Europe.
