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Nokia's technology was used for a live network demo where multiple PON technologies were used at the same time
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Australian wholesale provider Nbn used Nokia's Lightspan MF-14 platform to deliver broadband speeds ranging from 10G to 100G over its existing fiber infrastructure
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Some use cases will push adoption for 50G beginning in 2026 and 100G in the early 2030s, said Dell'Oro analyst Jeff Heynen
Nokia is claiming another world’s first after Australian wholesale provider Nbn used its fiber access platform for a live network demonstration of multiple passive optical network (PON) technologies at the same time.
The Lightspan MF-14 platform from Nokia enabled Nbn to deliver broadband speeds of 10G, 25G, 50G and 100G over its existing fiber network. Nokia first demonstrated its 100G tech in the US at the Fiber Connect show in 2022, but was only able to show 100G on “a very specialized lab setup,” said Stefaan Vanhastel, head of global marketing and innovation for Nokia Fixed Networks.
The demo in Australia is "the next step in 100G development, being able to show 100G technology on a real network,” Vanhastel told Fierce Network.
Nokia has been a prominent PON player as one of the first to make 25G a reality in 2020.
With the burgeoning deployment of XGS-PON and 25G PON, Dell’Oro analyst Jeff Heynen said it’s notable that the Nokia platform facilitated the simultaneous operation of 10G, 25G and 50G, as well as 10G, 25G and 100G over the same fiber on Nbn’s network. Others like Huawei and ZTE have shown simultaneous GPON/XG-PON/50G-PON deployments, but unlike them, Nokia added in 25GS-PON and 100G-PON.
Heynen said the demo signifies for operators “the real power of fiber in terms of its longevity and flexibility in supporting different speeds and service levels across the same infrastructure.”
For one, it could introduce the potential for providers to use a single optical line terminal (OLT) to deliver residential, enterprise, leased line and mobile backhaul services. “That is a pretty compelling demonstration because of its impacts on reducing capex and opex, because you are reducing the total number of discrete network elements in play,” Heynen added.
Additionally, Nokia said the demo shows that operators can upgrade from 10G PON to symmetrical 25G PON (and potentially evolve to 50G PON or 100G) while using the same passive and active fiber components that are already deployed today.
Heynen noted 50G PON is “a bit of a wild card,” because it uses digital signal processors for upstream wavelengths. He said symmetric 50G PON will likely need new line cards in the OLT, as well as different coexistence elements in the field.
While changes will likely be required to new PON networks if operators want to get to 50G, XGS-PON and 25GS-PON can coexist without any additional upgrades. “This is why operators who want to deliver symmetric 10/10 services are looking at 25GS-PON in the short-term,” Heynen continued.
More speed than we need... for now
The broadband industry has taken a lot of interest — and invested a ton of money — into high speed fiber. But do operators really need 100G, or even 50G, speeds yet?
“Generally not,” Heynen said. “But there are use cases in the enterprise and transport markets that will push adoption for 50G beginning in 2026 and 100G in the early 2030s.”
Vanhastel agreed that most operators don’t need these speeds now, but it’s good for them to know the different options available in the next-generation PON toolbox, so they can decide on the best evolution path for them based on their need and their business case.
It’s also important to show operators (and investors, governments and the general public) that this “huge investment the industry is making will last for generations to come and will be able to keep up with future demands,” added Vanhastel.
When the need arises, 50G and 100G will at first be aimed at non-residential use cases – using the FTTH network to connect businesses, cell towers, smart city infrastructure, etc. According to Vanhastel, Nokia is aiming to start “tactical deployments” for 50G in 2025. The timeline for getting to 100G is “2030+," he said.