PARIS, March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EKINOPS (Euronext Paris - FR0011466069 - EKI), a leading supplier of telecommunications solutions for telecom operators and enterprises, unveils today its strategic plan – Bridge – kick-started at the end of 2024.
Ekinops unveils “Bridge” strategic plan
The purpose of Bridge is to consolidate Ekinops' leadership in fast-growing market segments for its two product lines, Access and Optical Transport.
The goal of Bridge is also to position Ekinops as a supplier of integrated telecommunications solutions, including equipment, software and related services which qualifies the Group for the most strategic projects led by telecom operators and enterprises.
Thanks to Bridge, Ekinops intends to be recognized as one of the players offering end-to-end solutions to the global telecoms market.
Bridge: enhancing Ekinops' two product lines with new and innovative solutions
In Optical Transport, Ekinops will build on its expertise and success in the Metro Optical Transport segment and its WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) products. Bridge will not only boost Ekinops' presence in the Longhaul market already addressed but also, thanks to highly innovative new technologies, enable it to become a major player in the fast-expanding DCI (Data Center Inter Connect) segment.
This DCI market is fast-developing, with a growing number of new datacenter projects, both intended for artificial intelligence (AI) and for sovereignty purposes as well as the distribution of vast international data streams. In this context, Bridge will deliver a new range of optical solutions based on new chassis, new management software, including OneOS6, and all related modules, with multiple innovations to ensure a competitive advantage.
In the next few years, the DCI market is expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between +13% and +20%[1].
Regarding Access, Ekinops benefits from a strong installed base with over four million routers deployed worldwide and the trust of telecom operators, many of whom are Tier 1. This success is owing to the Group's unique "One Box, One OS" approach, providing the most advanced connectivity service on the market using a single router.
Bridge will take Ekinops a step further, with the ambition of penetrating the network cybersecurity market, also known as SASE (Secure Access Service Edge). For Ekinops, the challenge ahead is to become one of the first players in the world to deploy all connectivity and secure telecom services for enterprises within a single system and a robust Cloud offering.
To achieve this, Ekinops will leverage its proven SD-WAN solution, adopted by major customers, and complement it with a Secure Service Edge (SSE) offering. Initially, Ekinops will enhance its OneOS6-integrated firewall with additional functions and then develop a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution, also known as SSE, to secure web traffic for enterprises and their mobile users. With these combined technologies, Ekinops will have a product line enabling it to address the SASE market segment, predicted to grow at an annual rate of between +13% and +28%[2] over the next few years.
By developing new high value-added solutions, Ekinops will operate at the heart of booming market segments. The combined evolutions in Access and Optical Transport solutions will therefore enable the Group to considerably increase its addressable market size by 2026.
Bridge: a growth-oriented plan, focused on the DCI and Cybersecurity Markets
With Bridge, Ekinops prioritizes growth while betting on a market recovery, anticipated by all in 2025, and by focusing on products the market will need in 2026 and 2027. As such, Ekinops is targeting a gradual return to revenue growth, particularly in the United States, in a still complex and demanding market context.
FY 2025 will be the first of implementation for the Bridge strategic plan. Ekinops bolstered its leadership team and announces the appointment of Harald Bock as Chief Product Officer as of February 1st, 2025. Harald Bock draws on his extensive experience driving innovation, product development and strategy in the telecommunications industry with companies such as Infinera, Coriant, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Ericsson. Under his leadership, the new DCI and cybersecurity products will be released end-2025, early-2026, and will contribute to boosting sales from 2026 onwards.
The clients for the new products developed through Bridge, and the decision-makers within these clients, will be the same as those currently purchasing Ekinops' existing products and services. Significant commercial synergies will emerge from these new products for operators, through upselling to their customers. Operators will thus be able to position themselves in the adjacent, fast-growing segments of DCI and cybersecurity.
As part of Bridge, the R&D department resources have been aligned to match the new strategic initiatives. R&D investments for the development of new DCI and SASE solutions, as outlined in the Bridge framework, have been launched without significantly increasing overall R&D expenditure.
Bridge: quickly return to double-digit growth and achieve an EBITDA margin close to 20%
Through Bridge, Ekinops aims to quickly return to double-digit growth, generating more than 30% of its annual revenue from Software & Services by 2028, including over 50% as ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue).
This brisker pace of growth over the next years will combine organic development as well as acquisitions, boosted by Ekinops' robust financial position. The Group's innovative R&D capabilities, its firm foothold in its key markets and the trust established among its customers are cornerstones of this ambition.
In profitability terms, the Group seeks to achieve an EBITDA margin close to 20%.
Bridge also includes a CSR component, enabling Ekinops to forge a long-term commitment to its social and environmental impacts.
[1] Source: Omdia, Cignal AI & Dell'Oro Group [2] Source: Omdia, Cignal AI & Dell'Oro Group
