RICHARDSON, Texas — August 03, 2021 —Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. today announced that Fujitsu hardware, software and services have been chosen for the Connected Coast project to bring high-speed connectivity to rural and remote communities along the coast of British Columbia and around Vancouver Island. The CityWest Connected Coast Network Corporation and Strathcona Connected Coast Network Corporation selected the Fujitsu 1FINITY™ platform and Virtuora® Network Control (NC) solution, as well as Fujitsu field services and project management to build the new fiber network.

The Connected Coast initiative aims to enable vital access to high-speed broadband internet for remote working, online learning, telehealth services and emergency notifications. A major investment connecting remote areas, including 48 indigenous communities, the Connected Coast project also will open up new economic development opportunities for residents and businesses in previously underserved regions throughout coastal British Columbia and Vancouver Island.

The new Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) network will incorporate Fujitsu 1FINITY T300 Transport, S900 Switch, and L100 Lambda blades, along with Virtuora Network Controller (NC) to provide open, multi-vendor, software-defined networking (SDN) control and management. CityWest and Strathcona have tapped Fujitsu Services to support network deployment and project management to ensure a smooth rollout.

“We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with Fujitsu as we build the Connected Coast project, and bring great Internet, phone and television services to rural and remote communities around British Columbia,” said Stefan Woloszyn, chief executive officer of CityWest. “Enabling access to faster and more reliable Internet connectivity for underserved communities is an important part of our mission to deliver superior communications and amazing customer experiences.”

“With the use of technology from Fujitsu, the Connected Coast project is another step closer to providing reliable connectivity to rural and remote coastal communities,” said David Leitch, chief administrative officer at Strathcona Regional District. “These communities will soon experience the same or better internet capability as their urban counterparts.”

“Network infrastructure is more critical than ever before, and expanding that infrastructure to remote coastal geographies is an ambitious undertaking,” said Annie Bogue, head of sales and marketing at Fujitsu Network Communications. “We are proud to support Connected Coast’s digital transformation with our 1FINITY platform and Virtuora NC, helping them expand essential broadband access.”

The first group of communities will be connected before the end of this year, and project completion is expected in 2023.