Swisscom tests 50G PON in live network

July 18, 2022

Swisscom said it plans to deploy 50G PON beginning no later than 2025.

Swisscom says it has successfully tested 50G PON technology in a live network. The company asserts it is the first communications services provider to do so. Swisscom said it plans to deploy 50G PON beginning no later than 2025.

The field trial follows a lab workout for 50G PON in 2020 (see “Swisscom trials 50G PON”). While Swisscom did not reveal the supplier of the 50G PON technology, Huawei is the most likely candidate. Photos from the lab trial showed Huawei technology and the Chinese company is Swisscom’s primary PON technology supplier (see, for example, “Swisscom chooses Huawei as supplier for its FTTS expansion”).

The service provider says the appeal of 50G PON is less about delivering higher speeds than increasing service flexibility. Such flexibility will be of particular importance to business customers as it will open the door to improved security service features and overall service attributes. These attributes include lower latency and ability to deliver guaranteed transmission rates via network slicing.

For related articles, visit the FTTx Topic Center.

For more information on FTTx technology and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.

To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.

About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

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, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.