FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies Co., Ltd. (FiberHome), a Chinese provider of networking and telecommunication equipment, has opened a plant in Kisbér, Hungary.

Per multiple media reports—from Xinhua and Evertiq, an electronic news service—the optical cable base that is called ZettaNet represents “a new milestone in Chinese-Hungarian economic cooperation.” The investment was estimated at 20 million euros, with 15% of the funding provided by the Hungarian state.

FiberHome had previously served European customers via a distributor, but now the company “is stepping up its direct manufacturing base.” The Kisbér facility, which will have about 120 employees, will produce optical cables for local customers such as Magyar Telekom and MVM. The reports noted that FiberHome has industrial bases in Wuhan, Northeast China, East China, Southwest China, Northwest China, South America, South Asia, and North Africa, and dozens of wholly-owned, holding and equity participation subsidiaries, and now the optical cable base in Hungary.

“This newly established ZettaNet cable manufacturing base is our first industrial entity invested in and constructed in Europe,” said FiberHome Board Chairman Zeng Jun. The Hungarian facility will leverage FiberHome’s expertise in the fiber optic cable industry to establish a high-end optical communication manufacturing hub in Europe. The site will integrate production, technological research and development, and logistics delivery to serve the broader European market, he said.

The Chinese Ambassador to Hungary, Gong Tao, observed that the project was completed and put into operation in less than a year. That achievement “not only demonstrated the efficiency and strength of Chinese companies but also reflects the mutual trust, cooperation and shared vision between China and Hungary.”

Per Schoenherr, an Austrian law firm that advised Chengdu Datang Communication Cable Co. (a member of the FiberHome Group), said the 25,000-sqm industrial site in Kisbér had been owned by the Hungarian subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems Limited, the European company of the Japanese Sumitomo Group. FiberHome, which is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, was said to hold some 4,000 patents.