Nokia (NYSE: NOK) announced that Google Fiber (NASDAQ: GOOG) at its GFiber Labs has successfully tested 50 Gbps (50G) broadband speeds over its existing fiber network. Nokia says that this is the first live network demonstration of 50G passive optical network (PON) technology in the U.S. The company says the trial shows how operators can use Nokia’s Lightspan MF fiber access platform to upgrade their fiber networks to meet the growing demand for faster, more reliable connectivity. The trial builds on the 25G PON deployment GFiber Labs announced with Nokia last year, Inside Towers reported.
Nokia points out that the 50G test demonstrates how fiber operators can combine different PON technologies on the same fiber to evolve their broadband offerings. Today, operators worldwide are leveraging fiber to create new opportunities with 25G PON services. When the need for more speed arises, the company says that operators have a path to 50G PON upgrades and beyond. Nokia claims that it is the only vendor that can support all next-generation PON options, with 10G and 25G products available today, 50G in trials, and 100G PON as a technology demonstrator.
With Nokia’s Lightspan fiber access platform, operators can choose a PON solution that best meets a specific use case or business need.
Liz Hsu, Google Fiber Senior Director, Product & Billing says, “We are always looking for ways to push the capabilities of our fiber network to deliver the best possible experience to our customers. This test with Nokia builds on the 25G PON deployment we announced together last year, paving the way for future improvements to our network that enhance customer experience in terms of speed, reliability, innovation and support for future business cases that have yet to be defined.”
“Service providers need to be able to select the right technology, based on their needs and business case,” comments Geert Heyninck, Nokia VP of Broadband Networks. “It is why we already offer 10G and 25G today, are trialing 50G, and developing 100G – ultimately leading to a full range of PON technologies that can be mixed and matched on the same platform and the same fiber. Our expansive toolkit of fiber solutions allows Google Fiber to future-proof their network and flexibly address their evolving network demands.”
Nokia recently acquired Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) to expand its Optical Networks portfolio, Inside Towers reported.
By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor
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