Netnod partners with Smartoptics to connect Scandinavian capitals

Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Netnod is a company owned by the  non-profit foundation TU-stiftelsen, established to work for the good of the internet. The organization operates the largest Internet exchanges in the Nordics, alongside DNS, root server and time services critical to how the internet functions in Sweden and beyond. Netnod is now building its own network across Scandinavia, replacing leased capacity with infrastructure it owns and controls directly.

Following a multi-vendor evaluation, Netnod has selected Smartoptics open optical networking solutions for the new network. The evaluation covered capital expenditure, line system and traffic costs, service commitments, and long-term energy consumption. Smartoptics performed especially well on total cost of ownership, with lower power consumption and a compact footprint. The two organizations are now entering a strategic partnership founded on a shared commitment to open networking across Scandinavia.

"The new Scandinavian DWDM ring strengthens Netnod's position as a leading provider of highly reliable infrastructure. Choosing Smartoptics as our strategic partner gives us greater control over our infrastructure and an even higher level of robustness and resilience. We recognize a lot of ourselves in Smartoptics, especially the openness in how they work with us, the priority given to sustainable technology usage, and how ambitious they are about the level of support and partnership behind this," says Karin Ahl, CEO, Netnod.

Owning the optical layer will give Netnod direct control over how redundancy is built into the network, rather than depending on underlying providers. It also allows Netnod to deliver its time services with greater precision and stronger redundancy. This is increasingly important as society's critical functions become more digitalized.

"We are proud to support Netnod's mission to keep the Nordic internet open, independent and reliable through this strategic initiative - especially at a time when digital resilience has never mattered more. What struck me about this process is that the evaluation was one of the most thorough and transparent we have ever participated in. Our partnership is not only a strong commercial match but also strongly aligned on values, as two ambitious Scandinavian organizations with high standards for what we build and how we support it," says Magnus Grenfeldt, CEO, Smartoptics.

For more information please contact:
Magnus Grenfeldt
CEO
Smartoptics
+46 73-366 88 77
E-mail: magnus.grenfeldt@smartoptics.com 

About Smartoptics
Smartoptics provides innovative optical networking solutions and devices for the new era of open networking. Our customer base includes thousands of enterprises, governments, cloud providers, Internet exchanges as well as cable and telecom operators. We have an open networking approach in everything we do which allows our customers to break unwanted vendor lock-in, remain flexible and minimize costs. Our solutions are used in metro and regional network applications that increasingly rely on data center services and specifications. Smartoptics is a Scandinavian company founded in 2006. We partner with leading technology and network solution providers such as Brocade, Cisco and Dell and have a global reach through more than 100 business partners.

For additional information about Smartoptics, please visit https://www.smartoptics.com/

About Netnod
Netnod provides critical infrastructure services essential for an open, secure and robust Internet. These range from interconnection services and Internet Exchanges to time services, domain management, DNS services and root server operations. With a global reputation for technical expertise, Netnod ensures the robustness of the digital ecosystem in the Nordics and beyond. As an operator-neutral provider, Netnod is owned by the non-profit foundation TU-stiftelsen (Stiftelsen för Telematikens utveckling), ensuring a focus on long-term infrastructure stability.