Nokia exec: ‘Fiber is the ultimate broadband infrastructure. It has almost unlimited capacity’
Nokia’s research arm, Nokia Bell Labs, has announced that it has achieved a record-breaking 100Gb/second on a single passive optical network (PON) wavelength using 100G PON technology. The prototype, which is said to “mimic real-world conditions,” will be on display at Fiber Connect, Nashville, Tennessee.
“Fiber is the ultimate broadband infrastructure,” stated Stefaan Vanhastel, CTO Nokia Fixed Networks. “It has almost unlimited capacity with only changes to the electronics at either end needed to increase speed. Today, fiber can already deliver 10G and 25G speeds. 50G will be available in the second half of this decade. With this proof-of-concept demo, we show that 100G is already within reach; all with the fiber network infrastructure that is being built today.”
According to the vendor, by delivering 100Gb/s speeds in downstream on a single PON wavelength, the prototype removes the need to combine multiple wavelengths carrying lower speeds.
“Whilst speeds up to 25Gb/second are possible on existing optical technologies, higher speeds require new approaches,” Nokia said in a statement. “In the Fiber Connect prototype, Nokia Bell Labs is using advanced digital signal processing (DSP) techniques that will be needed for all technologies beyond 25G PON, including 50G and 100G PON.”
Last year, Nokia — in partnership with Belgian operator Proximus — turned on what it claimed to be the world’s fastest fiber access network in Antwerp, Belgium. The network was the first 25G PON live network and operated over existing fiber and Nokia equipment deployed in the Proximus network.
Today, the vendor reports that seven out of 10 fiber homes in the U.S. are served using its Fiber to the Home (FTTH) kit.
