The Jordanian region of Saraya Aqaba is the first in the country to get Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) connectivity. The luxury mixed-use tourism and leisure destination located on the shores of the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan was fitted with the infrastructure by R&M, A Swiss producer of products and systems for communication and data networks.
The undertaking by R&M will allow more than 800 residential units and commercial establishments to enjoy high-speed connectivity and the latest triple-play services from telecom operators.
Saraya Aqaba covers over 634,000 square meters, features residential units, premium five-star hotels, several entertainment outlets, state-of-the-art business facilities and a Souk. The deployment of R&M's cabling solutions was executed by Optimiza, the cabling vendor's systems integrator partner in Jordan.
In recent years, FTTH has become a key aspect of city development projects as the in-home lifestyle of consumers in the region is being transformed into an online-dominated experience. Raed Al-Omari, Director of Mega Projects, said Saraya Aqaba is "designed to provide the very latest facilities and amenities to residents and guests. The fibre infrastructure we have deployed provides the robust platform upon which a host of critical modern services will be offered."
With the ability to provide Gigabit connectivity, FTTH opens up a range of possibilities. Among these are triple play services - the packaging of voice, high speed internet, and television as a combined offering from a single telecom provider. Convenience and safety are also top priorities for the developers of the mega-project which is why vital services such as fire alarms, CCTV, intercoms, and access control will all be connected to a centrally managed system via the secure FTTH network.
As this is the first FTTH project in the country, the project's consultants were keen on leveraging the expertise of qualified experts for the undertaking. Having successfully delivered many such projects in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, R&M had an impressive list of regional references and was qualified to provide the technical expertise and guidance necessary through the design, deployment and testing phases.
Product quality was also a major factor in vendor selection as the network had to meet present and future requirements. "Today we provide 10GbE connectivity over this network, but thanks to the quality and capabilities of the solutions we have invested in, we can increase this speed by a factor of four without having to make any changes to the cabling infrastructure," explained Raed Al-Omari.
Optimiza has utilized R&M's Cat. 6 copper cabling system for a horizontal cabling system. The entire compound is networked by FTTH using GPON technology whereby every subscriber has broadband-ready connectivity. The deployment has also entailed the use of specially customized Smart Home cabinet solutions from R&M, housing copper, fibre optic as well as the ONT equipment from the service provider on all customer premises.
"R&M is proud to add another high-profile city development project to the list of FTTH successes. With the advancement of technology in the Middle East and the tech-savvy nature of consumers, FTTH is the clear way forward to meet growing expectations," said Mohammad Sweidan, Area Director - Africa, Levant & Kuwait at R&M Middle East, Turkey and Africa.
