EoW July 2011

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EuroWire – July 2011 12
corporate news
Draka Communications has won a
consulting, licensing and training contract
with e.wa riss Netze, a fibre services
venture jointly owned by the public utility
of the city of Biberach and EnBW, an
energy provider for southwest Germany.
e.wa riss Netze (networks) will benefit
from Draka’s FTTH expertise and
application of the DrakaXSNet software
suite in the evolution of its existing high
speed fibre network serving the citizens
of Biberach.
“We are now implementing new,
cost-effective development processes
to support the planning, expansion and
documentation of our fibre network,”
said Michael Preiss, CEO of e.wa riss Netze
GmbH.
“In Draka we have found an innovative
partner with a wealth of knowledge.”
Following research and comparison
studies involving various planning
software solutions, e.wa riss Netze
concluded Draka XSNet to be the best,
most flexible option and a valuable asset
for cost efficiency when constructing FTTx
networks. Draka’s intelligent software
allows network builders to identify an
optimal solution, enabling total cost of
ownership reductions during the network
construction phase.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to
contribute to Biberach’s community
fibre network development, as well as
being an excellent reference for other
local authority projects around Europe,”
said Edgar Aker, director marketing
and product management, Draka
Communications Telecom Solutions,
EMEA.
Together with network planning company
E9, e.wa riss Netze began building
the fibre infrastructure for its ewacom
branded fibre services in Biberach.
Services began in January 2010, and
today offer business districts and
residents of Biberach attractive triple play
service packages with flat rate options
from €39,90 to €69,90 and speeds of 50
Mb/s up to 150 Mb/s.
Located on the river Riss in south
western Germany, Biberach has
a population of 32,000 and is a
significant industrial location within
the area. The regional utility and energy
companies realised that building a high
performance broadband infrastructure
would be an important pillar for the
development of the community,
ensuring a high level of universal
services for businesses and citizens.
In 2009, e.wa riss Netze GmbH was set
up as a 50% joint venture between
the utility companies, focusing on the
essential activities of a distribution
network provider – managing the
installation/construction, development
and the marketing of power and gas
grids.
The optical fibre network has now
become an important division of e.wa
riss Netze.
Draka Communications – Netherlands
Email:
Website:
▲ ▲ The city of Biberach – a significant industrial area benefitting from high performance broadband infrastructure
City benefits from
expertise
Record new all-time sales
Leoni generated new all-time high sales and earnings in the first quarter of 2011.
The provider of cables and cable systems to the automotive sector and other
industries increased its consolidated sales to the end of March 2011 by about 38 per
cent year on year, to €910.7 million.
In so doing, Leoni grew in virtually all regions and exceeded expectations in both
of its divisions. The unabated, heavy demand from the automotive industry was the
basis for this strong performance.
Free cash flow improved to a negative figure of €8.2 million (previous year: outflow
of €61.1 million), representing a significantly better outcome compared to the first
quarter results in previous years. Net debt thus increased only slightly versus the
end of 2010 to €458.3 million (31st December 2010: €444.6 million).
Leoni AG – Germany Fax: +49 911 202 3455
Email: Website: