Zayo Partners With Nokia To Reach Two New Records in Optical Transmission

Recently, Nokia and Zayo Group, a UK-based provider of optical communications solutions, joined forces to conduct two key optical transmission field trials, demonstrating the power of Nokia's latest-generation coherent optics in state-of-the-art optical transmission networks such as Zayo.
First, the two companies successfully conducted a field trial of Nokia's sixth-generation Photonic Service Engine Super Coherent Optics (PSE-6s). This innovative technology achieved a North American transmission record of 800 Gbps at a single wavelength over a 1,866-kilometer-long link (Los Angeles-El Paso), setting a new milestone for long-distance communications.
The two companies also achieved a transmission record of 1Tbps using this technology on Zayo's 1,004-kilometer route from Los Angeles to Phoenix, once again proving its leadership in high-speed communications.
In addition, Nokia and NTT Corporation also announced the completion of a joint proof of concept (PoC) that utilizes Nokia's All-Photonic Network (APN) mobile forward transmission solution. This innovative solution aligns with the goals of the global Innovative Optical Wireless Networks (IOWN) Global Forum to meet the growing demand for high-speed connectivity through the virtualization and cloudification of key mobile core components in 5G and future 6G mobile networks.
Investment in Optical Network Capacity, Capability and Sustainability
Zayo currently offers North America's largest and most modern 400G network with more than 250 access points (pops) covering the most in-demand centers.
For Zayo's trial, Nokia's PSE-6s technology was integrated into an 1830 PSI-M compact modular transport platform equipped with production-ready DMAT6 line cards. Using the latest sixth-generation technology has enabled 800Gbps transmission distances up to three times that of current 7nm solutions and set a new distance record for real-time networks in North America, Nokia said.
In addition, a 1Tbps transmission between Los Angeles and Phoenix over a 150GHz WDM channel demonstrates the ability to reach higher capacity per wavelength on high-traffic routes.
As it continues to advance its infrastructure projects, Zayo plans to further enhance connectivity between key cities, including the deployment of new 800G and higher speed communication lines. Nokia's PSE-6s coherent technology provides Zayo with the ability to continuously increase the speed of commercial wavelengths, including its industry-first "wave on demand" service. This innovative solution enables Zayo to provide customers with the capacity they need when they require innovative, higher bandwidth solutions.
Optical transport equipment for trials
The joint Proof of Concept (PoC) with NTT marks the first successful realization of the IOWN Global Forum's vision. The proof aims to validate the realization of a smarter world by 2030, with a significant 100x reduction in power consumption, a 125x increase in transmission capacity and a 200x reduction in end-to-end latency.
Nokia's optical networking solutions were reportedly used in this test, which successfully demonstrated low latency and transmission distance scaling of 5G Distributed Units (DUs) and Radio Units (RUs) over an All-Photonic Network (APN) over a mobile forward network.
Noteworthy Nokia high-performance optical solutions used for lab testing include the 1830 Time Sensitive Packet Switch (TPS) optimized for mobile xHaul applications and the 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) for WDM optical transport.
A joint proof of concept (PoC) demonstrated the use of optical routing to dynamically allocate RAN resources to 5G radios to better respond to changing traffic demands. This dynamic allocation ensures optimal energy consumption compared to traditional fixed and inefficient link solutions.