Netomnia builds scalable UK-wide ROADM core to power 800G growth
UK’s leading Alt-Net Netomnia future-proofs its national backbone with Smartoptics’ high-capacity, open networking platform delivering rapid rollout, simplified operations, and long-term cost efficiency.
About the customer
Netomnia is the UK’s second-largest alternative network provider (Alt-Net), operating a wholesale full-fibre network that powers its own retail broadband brands — YouFibre and brsk — along with a growing ecosystem of B2B partners. Positioned as the home of the UK’s most powerful internet, the Netomnia network is redefining what’s possible for communities and businesses nationwide. Backed by over £1.5 billion in funding and targeting 5 million premises by 2027, Netomnia is building an uncompromising, capital-efficient fibre network engineered to deliver the innovations of tomorrow — today.
Industry: CSP
Location: United Kingdom
Solution: National ROADM core up to 800G and beyond
Products:
- DCP-R ROADMs
- Variable Gain Amplifiers
- SoSmart Software Suite
The challenge
Scaling for the next stage of growth
Netomnia’s rapid expansion, fuelled by growing demand across its retail broadband brands, YouFibre and brsk, as well as an expanding portfolio of B2B partners, created the need for a future-ready national core network. While third-party lit services had served earlier phases of rollout, rising traffic volumes and broader market engagement made a strong case for transitioning to a flexible, fully owned transport backbone built for scale.
“We needed a solution that offered full control, seamless scalability, and efficient integration with our existing infrastructure,” says Sam Defriez, Director of Networks at Netomnia. “The focus was on simplicity, speed, and the ability to grow without constantly redesigning the network.”
“With Smartoptics, we were able to turn up high-capacity services exactly when and where we needed them, while keeping the platform simple and scalable up to 800G and beyond.”
The Solution
Open, scalable ROADM platform up to 800G
Following a competitive procurement process, Smartoptics was selected to provide the foundation for Netomnia’s new UK-wide optical core. Key decision factors included support for alien wavelengths and coherent optics to ensure interoperability and cost-efficiency along with an open, flexible architecture to align with Netomnia’s capital-efficient rollout strategy. Ease of use also played a major role, which was confirmed through a live SoSmart demo and training session in Stockholm.
Netomnia’s regional hubs in London, Manchester, Newport, and Wakefield are connected into a national ring over its own dark fibre. The backbone is powered by Smartoptics' DCP-R ROADMs and variable gain amplifiers, all managed through the intuitive SoSmart software suite.
“This was our largest network upgrade to date — and also our smoothest,” says Sam. “With Smartoptics, we were able to turn up high-capacity services exactly when and where we needed them, while keeping the platform simple and scalable up to 800G and beyond.”
The Result
Future-ready performance with cost-efficient growth
With its new Smartoptics-powered backbone, Netomnia has eliminated the dependency on leased lit services, delivering significant savings over a five-to-seven-year horizon. The network was also optimized in the process, with backhaul upgraded at multiple key sites to improve efficiency in fast-growing FTTH areas.
“Built on compact, low-power hardware and an open design philosophy, the new core supports both scale and sustainability and positions Netomnia to deliver high-speed, high-capacity services across the UK with unmatched agility,” says Sam. “The successful rollout underscores our strategic focus on efficiency, simplicity, and innovation, values that were echoed in the collaboration with Smartoptics throughout the project lifecycle.”
Get the solution brief
From 100G Pluggable DWDM to 800G and Beyond - Smartoptics offers a wide range of open optical solutions for data centers, communication service providers, and other users of ultra-high speed DWDM connectivity. Download to learn more!
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