NBN starts using next-gen Nokia fibre tech

Troubled Australian state broadband wholesaler NBN is giving Nokia’s Lightspan MF-14 broadband platform a go.

Nokia calls Lightspan “the world’s first 6th generation broadband platform.” In practice this means it has four times higher capacity than the previous generation and can support 25G, 50G and 100G PON services. It’s also heavy on the SDN and NFV, via something called the Altiplano Access Controller, and comes with the now obligatory claims of being good for the planet in some way.

“Using Nokia’s advanced fiber technology coupled with our network optimization and automation capabilities, Nokia and NBN can meet customer demand for a faster, smarter, greener broadband network today and well into the future,” said Ricky Corker, Chief Customer Experience Officer at Nokia.

“By leading the deployment of this next-generation technology, we can help meet our nation’s data demands now and into the future,” said NBN CEO Stephen Rue. “Together with our network investment that is pushing fibre deeper into communities and extending fixed wireless and satellite coverage and capabilities, we are helping unlock social and economic benefits for households, businesses and communities across Australia.”

The announcement coincides with the a report warning of mounting losses at NBN, with little hope of things getting better in future. It seems the decision to go mostly with copper, rather than full fibre, in the network is one of the main reasons for this state of affairs, which somewhat calls into question the broader significance of this Nokia news. You can read that full report here and we’ll leave you with a Nokia video bigging up Lightspan.

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