Nokia and Bell Canada say they have completed a lab test of the former’s 25G PON technology at Bell’s Advanced Technical Lab in Montréal, Québec.
The lab test validated the ability of Nokia’s 25G PON technology to complement current GPON and XGS-PON deployments.
The test is the first conducted in North America; Nokia presently has customers for 25G PON in Europe.
Bell Canada has used PON technology from Nokia going back to the technology provider’s days as Alcatel-Lucent.
Nokia’s 25G PON portfolio includes the Lightspan and ISAM access nodes, 25G/10G optical cards, and fiber modems.
“As part of Bell’s purpose to advance how Canadians connect with each other and the world, we embrace next-generation technologies such as 25G PON to ensure we remain at the forefront of broadband innovation. Our successful work with Nokia to deliver the first 25G PON trial in North America will help ensure we maximize the Bell fiber advantage for our customers in the years to come,” commented Stephen Howe, executive vice president and CTO at Bell.
“Nokia innovations powered the fiber networks and the connectivity lifeline that carried Canadian homes and businesses through the pandemic. 25G PON innovations will drive the next generation of advances in our connected home experience,” added Jeffrey Maddox, president of Nokia Canada.

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director & Associate Publisher
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, DOCSIS technology, and more.