STL to invest Rs 200 cr for OF facilities in US, UK

STL, conducted its second Annual Investor meet, STLescope 2021 on 1st July that brought global analysts and investors together. The event saw STL showcasing its plans for reaching the annual revenue run rate of Rs. 10,000 Cr by Q4 of FY’23.

STL announced a 3-pronged strategy to enhance its market share to capture an addressable market across Optical and Wireless solutions and System Integration.

• Growing the Optical Solutions market globally
• Globalizing its System Integration solutions across UK and Europe
• Building new disruptive technologies for its Access Solutions business

In line with this growth strategy, STL has made investments to build capacities and capabilities across its focus markets. To grow its end-to-end optical solution Opticonn, the company plans to expand its optical fibre manufacturing capabilities from 33 to 42 mn. km, including new facilities in the U.S. and UK with a total additional investment of about Rs. 200 Cr.

Lauding STL’s investment in South Carolina, US, the South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, said, “South Carolina continues to lead the way in innovation, and STL’s investment in Kershaw County is further proof of that. Our state is a place where companies can find success, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for STL.”

These capacity enhancements will enable the extensive fibre build-outs planned across US, Europe and UK to boost rural broadband and 5G programs.

Speaking about the Full-fibre network planned in the UK, Kevin Murphy, MD for Fibre and Network Delivery at Openreach, said, “Full Fibre will be absolutely critical to the UK. Our Full Fibre network holds the potential for enabling significant socio-economic growth for the United Kingdom. Partners like STL will help us build this network in a fast and efficient manner. Their compact and efficient designs will be extremely useful for us as we look to build the most comprehensive and green networks in the world.”

STL plans to continue to invest about 3% of its annual revenue in industry-leading research on areas of optical solutions and wireless solutions including 5G. With the company recently receiving its first 5G patent in the US and with its ongoing product trials at customer premises in U.S. and APAC, STL is all set to be a global leader in open-source 5G and FTTx implementations.

Excited about STL’s future plans, Dr. Anand Agarwal, Group CEO, STL, commented: “The last year paved the way for a decade of network creation. STL has worked towards capacity and capability enhancements through strategic investments in manufacturing, research and global talent. Our sustained investments along with deep customer engagement will definitely drive the next phase of growth that will propel us towards the annual revenue run rate of INR 10,000 Cr by the end of FY’23.” PTI