Nokia has added 10Gbps PON and point-to-point fiber to its access portfolio to help meet demand for high-capacity mobile transport in the 5G era.
The mobile transport solution is designed to allow operators to use existing PONs used in FTTH deployments to gain the capacity and coverage 5G requires.
The portfolio is also being used as part of a Bell Labs proof-of-concept to demonstrate the flexibility of 10G symmetrical PON networks for low latency applications such as mobile fronthaul.
By adding gateway functionality, Nokia is able to convert mobile fronthaul CPRI signals to Ethernet, the company said.
“The biggest opportunity on the horizon for fixed networks is the arrival of 5G. It's clear that 5G will require very high capacity and low delay, but what is less certain is just how much capacity will be required for backhaul and what latency will be sufficient,” Nokia president of fixed networks Federico Guillen said.
“We take the guesswork out of the equation. Our solution allows operators to access existing PON networks that have virtually unlimited capacity to meet their needs today, with the added flexibility to add 10G PON evolutions gradually as demand for more bandwidth and services increases. The massive throughput and cell densification strategy of 5G make it a perfect match for existing FTTH deployments."
Meanwhile Calix announced it has worked with New Zealand's Northpower Fibre to complete the first demonstration of 10Gbps NG-PON2 technology in a live network.
Northpower Fibre plans to deploy NG-PON2 technology based on Calix's AXOS software-defined access architecture to help differentiate in New Zealand's growing Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) marketplace stimulated by the government's second phase of the UFB program.
“New Zealand is undergoing a major broadband vitalization effort, and we see the emergence of NG-PON2 technology as a major enabler going forward,” Northpower Fibre CEO Darren Mason said.
“As attention in the second phase of UFB shifts from the cities to bring fiber broadband to more rural areas, Northpower Fibre will be leading the way having committed to connect 12 new towns to fiber within the next four years.”