Optical Cable Corporation and Lightera Collaborate to Expand Portfolios

Lightera, LLC and Optical Cable Corporation (OCC) recently announced a collaborative agreement to provide more product offerings and solutions, particularly for the enterprise and data center industries.

Both companies anticipate benefitting from the collaboration by oferring more fiber optic and copper cabling and connectivity solutions to both of the previously mentioned industries, as well as grow their presence in other sectors. Lightera and OCC plan to merge parts of both their portfolios to “deliver integrated cabling and connectivity solution offerings” that will be sold by OCC.

Along with this collaboration, Lightera also invested in OCC by purchasing shares of OCC’s common stock, now Lightera holds 7.24% of OCC’s total shares.

"We recognize the importance of this strategic joint effort with OCC and the potential opportunities it brings to expand Lightera's presence in the data center and enterprise Passive Optical LAN sectors," said Foad Shaikhzadeh, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lightera. "Lightera is delivering a comprehensive, next-generation solution purpose-built for the modern data center—combining advanced edge technology, scalability, and performance. Our long-standing relationship with OCC, grounded in mutual respect and proven product excellence, positions us to jointly serve the growing demands of this critical customer segment. We are confident that OCC's established presence and reputation in key sectors will amplify the impact of our solution, and we look forward to building on this partnership."

Neil Wilkin, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of OCC, said, "We are excited about the opportunities this strategic relationship provides to both companies. OCC has successfully worked with Lightera (and its predecessor OFS Fitel, LLC), for decades, and we look forward to the expansion of our valued business partnership, as well as our continued engagement with the Lightera team. Importantly, we are confident that our strategic collaboration with Lightera, and the resulting Lightera-OCC integrated solutions offered, will significantly expand our opportunities in the data center and enterprise sectors, will accelerate OCC sales growth, and will create significant value for OCC and its shareholders."