In a series of passive optical network (PON) edge optical broadband technology trials with leading European communications operators, Nokia revealed that it has partnered with Telefónica to successfully test 25G PON in Spain for the first time.
Nokia’s products leverage 25GS-PON technology and include Lightspan access nodes – high-capacity access nodes for large-scale fiber deployments – as well as 25G/10G optical cards and fiber modems. Lightspan nodes, typically located in telecom central offices, can be used to connect up to thousands of users via fiber, aggregating their broadband traffic and sending it deeper into the network.
Fiber access nodes can support multiple fiber technologies, including GPON, XGS-PON, 25GS-PON and point-to-point Ethernet, to provide a wide range of services with the most suitable technology. The Nokia Optical Network Terminal (ONT) equipment/fiber modem is located at the customer location. They terminate fiber optic connections and provide broadband services at customer premises or base stations. It also includes Quillion-based Multi-PON line cards and fiber optic modems. Depending on the optics chosen, 25G PON supports both symmetrical bit rates (25Gb/s downstream, 25G upstream) and asymmetrical bit rates (25/10).
In the new trial, Telefónica is said to have not only demonstrated symmetrical speeds of 20 Gbps, but also the leading operator’s current GPON and XGS-PON broadband technologies – the latter currently favored by Europe’s leading full-fiber providers – Can exist “seamlessly” with 25G PON on the same fiber.
As well as envisioning 25G PON offering “enormous” symmetric bandwidth capacity to support new use cases and bandwidth demands, the operator argues that this high broadband speed, aligned with low latency, makes its network ready for future applications such as the Metaverse .
Commenting on where he thinks the test will go, Gonzalo Garzón, Head of Fixed Access at Telefónica España, said: “Telefonica was the first operator in Spain to offer gigabit connectivity, but we will not stop there. Consumer Demand for Bandwidth Endless, exciting applications like VR [virtual reality] Games, will always evolve to take full advantage of available bandwidth. New FTTH technology gives us more opportunities than home connection. With its massive increase in capacity, we will be able to offer new business services on the same network. “
“Thanks to our Quillion chipset, this 25G PON proof of concept for Telefónica demonstrates that enormous bandwidth capacity can easily be added to their existing network, co-existing with their existing PON technology,” said Bjorn Capens, Vice President Europe at Nokia fixed network. “This means customers on the same fiber line can use GPON, XGS-PON or 25G GPON services, making it easier to manage upgrade cycles.”
In May 2021, through a partnership with Nokia, leading Belgian operator Proximus became the first company to run a live deployment of 25G PON on the same fiber optic network equipment as the existing fiber optic infrastructure.
A real-time PON network connects the Havenhuis building in the Port of Antwerp with the Proximus headquarters in the city centre. Nine months later, Nokia announced a successful 25G PON fiber-optic broadband trial with Croatian operator Hrvatski Telekom, which hopes to “significantly” increase the capacity, bandwidth and quality of its future broadband services.
