ZTE teams up with True to build Thailand's first FTTR community

• ZTE Corporation and True Corporation partnered to create an industry-leading all-optical Wi-Fi solution for the Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket, Thailand
• ZTE's innovative FTTR solution has a wide range of applications in traditional home scenarios and enterprise settings such as hotels and retail establishments
• True Online's 2 Gbps bandwidth packages, coupled with ZTE's FTTR solution, have transformed the Internet experience offered to guests at Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket

ZTE teams up with True to build Thailand's first FTTR community

Phuket, Thailand, 7 December 2023 – ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, and True Corporation have collaborated to develop an industry-leading all-optical Wi-Fi solution for the Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket, in Thailand.

Thailand, a tropical country in Southeast Asia, boasts approximately14.27 million Fixed Broadband (FBB) users, achieving a household penetration of around 58.96%. Notably, Fiber To The Home (FTTH) technology constitutes 95% of the FBB users. True Corporation, as Thailand's largest fixed-network and video operator, is dedicated to harnessing cutting-edge technologies and providing appealing service packages. This commitment aims to bolster market competitiveness and elevate user satisfaction.

Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket, Thailand, stands as a high-end serviced-apartment-style community crafted by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. After years of operation, the network infrastructure of accommodation faced obsolescence, failing to cater to the evolving Wi-Fi usage demands of its guests. Recognizing the imperative for an upgraded solution, True Corporation and ZTE Corporation collaborated during the refurbishment of the Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket. This partnership resulted in the development of an industry-leading all-optical Wi-Fi solution tailored to meet the specific needs of the Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket.

Wi-Fi as a Pressing Pain Point for the Operation of Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket

With the widespread adoption of smart home devices and the rapid development of services like high-definition video and gaming, the Very High-Speed Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) 100 Mbps bandwidth access solution used by Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket was no longer able to meet the high-speed Internet requirements of its guests.

The VDSL solution involved sharing one Wi-Fi gateway for every 2-3 rooms, resulting in poor Wi-Fi coverage and low bandwidth - the actual bandwidth accessed by guests was less than 10 Mbps. Guests frequently reported Wi-Fi connectivity failures and unstable Wi-Fi connections, which degraded the user experience and harmed the premium image of the hotel.

After astutely identifying Wi-Fi as a pain point of Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket, True Corporation worked with ZTE Corporation to hold discussions with the customer about the latest Fiber To The Room (FTTR) all-optical networking solution in the industry, which would deliver gigabit bandwidth to every room. The solution gained high praise from Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket, and the three parties agreed to replace its existing VDSL solution with True Online's broadband access service and ZTE's FTTR solution when Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket officially opening after the refurbishing. This would address the low bandwidth and poor Wi-Fi coverage in the guests rooms, providing guests with fast and stable Internet service, enhancing the guests’ stay experience, and upgrading Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket's high-end image.

FTTR All-Optical Networking Solution

Before the Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket project, True Online had already started large-scale deployment of dual-band Wi-Fi 6 Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) and mesh Access Points (APs) to ensure its competitiveness in bandwidth and coverage. To maintain its leading position in the Thai operator market, True Online actively conducted FTTR network trials with ZTE Corporation and was very satisfied with the trial results. ZTE's innovative FTTR solution has a wide range of applications in traditional home scenarios and enterprise settings such as hotels and retail establishments. In light of the building structure, the three parties decided to deploy one main ONT and 26 room ONTs on each floor, ensuring that every room had an independent room ONT. The deployment locations of the FTTR devices were meticulously selected by ZTE engineers to guarantee full Wi-Fi signal strength in every corner of the rooms. Leveraging the high-bandwidth capability of the FTTR devices, True Online provided 2 Gbps high-speed packages to boost the Internet experience and service satisfaction of guests significantly.

With the ZTE FTTR solution, Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket achieved its goal of offering high bandwidth and premium Wi-Fi. The deployed solution has four highlight features:

Gigabit-plus bandwidth and superfast services: The solution employs a combination of optical fiber and Wi-Fi 6 technology to remove the performance constraints of the traditional Ethernet cable and prevent speed degradation, ensuring smooth gaming, video streaming, and conferencing experiences.

Full coverage and no dead zones: Fiber extends from the information box to every room to implement whole-home Wi-Fi coverage. The high data rates and strong anti-interference capabilities of the solution ensure that every corner of the home enjoys full signal strength.

Smart roaming and seamless handover: An in-house smart roaming algorithm enables millisecond-level imperceptible roaming handover without disruptions as guests move about in the hotel building.

Large space and multiple connections: Each floor has a full-coverage network comprising up to 26 Wi-Fi hotspots and connecting a maximum of 256 smart devices.

Creating a New All-Optical Hotel Experience

True Online's 2 Gbps bandwidth packages, coupled with ZTE's FTTR solution, have transformed the Internet experience offered to guests at Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket. Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket has expressed great satisfaction with the deployment and plans to deepen collaboration with True Corporation and ZTE Corporation to further enhance the network experiences for its guests.

True Online's  FTTR service launched in Thailand has garnered significant industry attention due to its versatile applications, marking it as a new growth area for the operator.

As the leader in Thailand's FBB market, True Corporation is committed to strengthening its collaboration with ZTE Corporation in exploring new technologies and solutions, expecting to bring the Thai people an even more dynamic and enriching digital life experience.