Oslo, Norway - February 3, 2026 - Smartoptics, a leading provider of optical
networking solutions, today announced that TKRZ Stadtwerke GmbH, a regional ISP
and data center operator in northwestern Germany, has upgraded its entire
backbone to Smartoptics active DWDM technology. The new solution delivers nearly
unlimited Ethernet capacity with low latency and built-in redundancy while also
supporting Fibre Channel on the same platform. This enables new service
offerings, extended reach to edge connections, and supports TKRZ's upcoming
flagship Datacenter Münster Osnabrück (DMO).

Based in Emsdetten, Germany, TKRZ provides colocation, cloud and managed
connectivity for enterprises and municipal organizations. Its dual role as data
center operator and infrastructure provider enables low-latency, high
-reliability services across the Münster-Osnabrück region.

As its 10G CWDM architecture reached its limits, TKRZ upgraded its backbone with
Smartoptics active DWDM. Compact 1U open line systems and
transponders/muxponders deliver 100G/400G Ethernet and 16G/32G Fibre Channel on
one low-latency platform. The solution meets growing capacity demands across the
region and enables consolidation of two existing data centers into DMO, a
carrier-neutral, scalable facility designed to serve as the region's new
connectivity hub.

"What we appreciate most about Smartoptics is the openness of the platform and
the competence and responsiveness of the people behind it - every interaction
has been fast, collaborative and solution-oriented. This deployment strengthens
our role as the region's digital backbone, allowing us to interconnect the
entire Münster-Osnabrück area and link it seamlessly with major national hubs.
With our new data center opening in early 2026 playing a big part, we're
creating infrastructure that will drive regional growth and innovation for years
to come," says Christoph Stegemann, Managing Director of both TKRZ Stadtwerke
GmbH and DMO GmbH.

With Smartoptics ROADMs, TKRZ can deliver high-speed transport to edge
connections from Hamburg in the north to Frankfurt in the south. Working with
regional utilities, the network reaches nearly every location across the
Münster-Osnabrück area, offering near-unlimited Ethernet capacity, low latency
and built-in redundancy. Using Smartoptics certified optical solutions for
Brocade Gen 7, TKRZ has also introduced a colocation service that lets Fibre
Channel users connect to its data centers as reliably and seamlessly as if they
were on-site.

"From the first design simulations in SoSmart using TKRZ's real fiber data to
joint planning with our long-standing value-add partner MG Future ahead of the
live rollout, this deployment has been a model of close collaboration. With
SoSmart and plug-and-play network elements, the new active solution is almost as
easy to manage as the old passive architecture. TKRZ is ahead of the game -
showing how service innovation and strategic partnerships can raise regional
connectivity to the same standard as larger metro areas," says Björn Rougén, VP
Sales Europe, 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://smartoptics.com/ (https://www.smartoptics.com/)

About TKRZ
TKRZ has been an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and operator of four regional
data centers since 2009. Since then, the company has been running fiber-optic
networks for both residential and business customers. In addition, TKRZ serves
as a service provider and operator of fiber-optic networks for various other
municipal utilities in the region. Its portfolio includes the marketing and
delivery of internet, voice, and TV services.