Nokia unveils Lightspan MF-14 optical line terminal for Broadband 6 requirements

Oct. 17, 2022

Operators have begun field trials of the Lightspan MF-14, Nokia adds.

Nokia says it will use this week’s Network X event in Amsterdam to debut the Lightspan MF-14 optical line terminal (OLT). The platform supports 25G PON with an upgrade path to 50G PON and 100G PON to meet the converged network requirements envisioned as "Broadband 6" in the World Broadband Association’s (WBBA) recent next-generation broadband whitepaper. Operators have begun field trials of the Lightspan MF-14, Nokia adds.

Nokia asserts that the Lightspan MF-14 offers the highest capacity available and is the first OLT to support six-nines availability and sub-millisecond latency. Additional features include:

No single point of failures
20% higher power efficiency than the industry average
Modular software architecture
SDN programmability and open APIs
Rapid telemetry and digital mirror in the cloud capabilities.

Nokia says that selected by customers building 25G PON networks in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. These include Frontier Communications (see "Frontier trials 25G PON, plans deployment"). “We are proud to be the first to embrace this next-generation platform,” Frontier’s Scott Mispagel, senior vice president, national architecture and engineering. “This is another way for us to provide customers with the fastest broadband available. The MF-14 platform will support our path to 100G using our existing fiber network and future-proof our network with speeds that will continue to outpace cable and other technologies for generations to come.”

CityFibre in the UK also is an announced customer (see "CityFibre commits to XGS-PON on FTTH networks"). “As we accelerate our full fiber rollout to serve a third of the UK market by 2025, the demand placed on those networks will also accelerate,” stated John Franklin, CTIO of CityFibre. “MF-14’s flexibility and capacity will help us to meet the needs of our partner’s and their customers for generations to come.”

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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.