e& UAE Leads with Ciena’s WL6e for Supersonic Network Expansion

Editorial Team

Last updated 21-03-2025

3 min

Telecom operator e& UAE introduces Ciena's WaveLogic 6 Extreme in the Middle East and Africa.

The upgrade boosts network capacity for blazing internet speeds, advancing AI and cloud technologies.

WL6e’s 3nm silicon technology doubles transmission rates to 1.

6 terabits per second per wavelength.

This strategic move supports both business needs and everyday digital services for consumers.

e& UAE leads regional digital innovation, ensuring stable, high-speed connections for future growth.

Telecom operator e& UAE has taken the regional lead by introducing Ciena's WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) tech into its optical networks, becoming the first company in the Middle East and Africa to do so. This latest upgrade dramatically bumps up the network's capacity, paving the way for some supercharged internet speeds—think smooth-surfing 10Gbps home services and wholesale network traffic cruising effortlessly at 100G to 400G. Essentially, they're setting the foundation to fully harness fast-growing technologies like artificial intelligence and further ramp up their already impressive 5G offerings.

At the heart of this initiative is WL6e’s groundbreaking 3nm silicon technology, which lets e& UAE double their existing data transmission capacity, moving the gauge to as high as 1.6 terabits per second on a single wavelength. It's exactly the sort of trend-setting move you'd expect in a region that's constantly aiming high on digital innovation and infrastructure—and crucially, they're setting things up for future applications involving AI and data-intensive cloud services.

Speaking about the deployment, Abdulrahman Al Humaidan, Senior Vice President of the Access Network Department at e& UAE, underscored that this new technology ensures the company can scale up sustainably, delivering the kind of seamless, uninterrupted connections their customers have grown to expect. Pete Hall, Head of Middle East and Africa at Ciena, reinforced Al Humaidan's point, highlighting that by integrating WL6e tech, e& UAE is uniquely positioned to lead digital developments throughout the region, especially as demands for cloud storage, AI applications, and high-speed 5G grow.

This strategic move couldn't come at a better time, really. With AI reshaping industries left, right and centre—from healthcare to finance and transport—robust, high-capacity data networks like these are more essential than ever. Companies are scrambling to get ahead in this digital-first era, and e& UAE's latest move clearly aims to put them comfortably ahead of the curve.

Mind you, all this high-tech wizardry isn't just for big businesses or tech-savvy millennials glued to their streaming devices (speaking from personal experiance here!). It’s equally vital for everyone accessing digital services, from catching up on your favourite Netflix shows to ordering takeaways online—even if it's just a humble shawarma wrap after a busy day. Arageek readers, in particular, know all too well how essential reliable internet is in our increasingly hyper-connected lives.

As e& UAE gears up their infrastructure for the digital future, their embrace of Ciena's cutting-edge WL6e tech looks set to keep network disruptions at bay while supporting the region's ambitious, technology-driven growth into the foreseeable future.

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