RIYADH — In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, experts are seeing increased demand from the growth of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) projects and the push for higher data speeds among network operators,’ said Juan Colina, Corning Optical Communications’ regional sales director for the Middle East, in line with the start of Corning Incorporated construction of a second manufacturing facility in Strykow, Poland, driven by strong growth in demand for its fiber optic products and solutions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company broke ground last Nov. 14 for the facility, adjacent to the company’s existing Strykow plant and will open in 2018.

Colina added “demand in the MENA region has stepped up significantly in the last 18 months,” In the same time, and according to FTTH Council’s 2016 Panorama, MENA region has significantly improved during last year. Based on the deployment of the different FTTH/B projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the commercial evolution from operators and organisms, the number of FTTH/B subscribers will increase 15 percent in 2017 to 2.9 million subscribers, while the FTTH/B homes passed will increase to 5.9 million, representing an increase of 6.8 percent.

The growth in FTTH/B coverage and take up rate is led by the dynamism of GCC countries, notably UAE and KSA markets, according to the report.

The expanded Strykow campus will be Corning’s largest manufacturing operation for optical communications solutions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The expansion flows from Corning’s strategy of locating its facilities closest to its customers to facilitate efficient supply for their immediate needs and provide Corning with advantaged access to global markets.

Corning’s manufacturing operations in Poland date back to 2001, when it opened a plant in Lodz. After five years, due to rapid growth, the facility moved to its current site at SEGRO Logistics Park Strykow. — SG