Broadband

Openreach runs with Nokia 25G PON

July 26, 2021

Openreach says that recent, successful tests will lead to field trials of Nokia's 25G PON platform to evaluate its compatibility with GPON and XGS-PON infrastructures in various application scenarios this December.

Stephen Hardy

Nokia's 25 GPON technology, powered by the company's Quillion chip, was the subject of tests by Openreach.

Openreach, BT’s access network subsidiary, and Nokia say they have collaborated on a test of the technology provider’s 25G PON technology. The successful tests will lead to field trials of 25G PON to evaluate its compatibility with GPON and XGS-PON infrastructures in various application scenarios this December.

The tests, conducted at the BT/Openreach labs at Adastral Park in Ipswich, leveraged Nokia’s 7360 ISAM FX 16 optical line terminal (OLT) platform. Nokia is a longstanding supplier of PON technology for Openreach, including for the company’s current Full Fibre deployment phase. Nokia also supplies BT with Gfast equipment.

“As the country’s largest digital infrastructure provider, it’s crucial that we continue to plan, innovate and evolve our network, to make sure we have the capacity and capabilities that the UK needs in the future,” stated Peter Bell, director, network technology at Openreach.

Bell added, “The Full Fibre network we’re building today is going to be the platform for the UK’s economic, social, and environmental prosperity, and these trials prove that we can keep upgrading the speeds and services our customers experience over that network for decades to come.”

“25G PON is market ready and is becoming the technology of choice with operators that need faster than 10 Gbps broadband speeds along with the flexibility to grow capacity in the future,” asserted Emir Halilovic, principal analyst at Global Data. “Being a symmetrical technology, 25G PON provides operators with technology capable of supporting SME or enterprise connectivity, as well as 5G transport.”

Nokia foresees 25G PON as mechanism toward delivering high-end business services via PON architectures, according to a Nokia/Openreach press release.

“The key to unlock the virtually unlimited capacity that fiber offers is to develop new generations of fiber technology – and faster chips,” observed Sandy Motley, president of Nokia Fixed Networks.

She concluded, “Nokia’s Quillion chip allows us to have a solution that supports three generations of PON technology from a single platform that is already in the Openreach network. Having GPON, XGS-PON, and 25GS-PON all on the same fiber means Openreach can efficiently evolve the network capabilities, address new opportunities and connect more consumers, businesses and 5G cell sites.”

About the Author

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.