The leading companies in the telecommunications and infrastructure sector, lyntia, Nokia, OFS| Furukawa Solutions, and Digital Realty (Interxion), have successfully carried out a real-world field test that marks an unprecedented milestone. The four companies have joined forces to implement the innovative “hollow core” fiber, demonstrating the potential of this new technology.
Unlike conventional optical fibers, where light travels through a solid material, “hollow core” technology is characterized by having a hollow central space inside. By guiding light through this hollow core, it travels almost 46% faster than in the solid cores of conventional optical fibers, resulting in reduced transmission latency. Additionally, the reduced interaction between the optical signal and the fiber structure allows for higher power transmission and reduced nonlinear effects of traditional single-mode optical fiber.
A major breakthrough in the telecommunications sector
Prior to implementation in the real-world environment, a pilot was conducted in a Paris laboratory with optical network experts from Nokia Bell Labs, where various tests with this new technology were performed. Compared to traditional fiber, the initial results demonstrated a significant reduction in latency of over 30% and considerably low nonlinear effects.
Furthermore, this pilot in Paris showcased a data speed of 800 Gb/s and 1.2 Tb/s. These results highlight the potential of these hollow core fibers to break the Shannon non-linear capacity limit of solid core fibers.
The recently completed field test confirms the feasibility and effectiveness of “hollow core” technology. One of the main results of the test was a significant improvement in latency, with 4,287μs obtained for 1,386km. This, similar to the laboratory test, represents an improvement of over 30%, surpassing the initial expected target. The deployed capacity during the pilot was 6x100Gbps over a single 600Gbps lambda and 10x10Gbps over a single 100Gbps lambda.
Thus, the most typical use case for this technology is connectivity between sites or data centers where reduced latency is critical for business. Future evolutions are expected to enhance attenuation ranges and optical capacity.
Successful collaboration between lyntia, Nokia, OFS| Furukawa Solutions, and Digital Realty
These results and future advancements in technology reinforce lyntia’s commitment to continue developing high-quality networks with ultra-low latency. In this regard, the strategic location provided by the company in the heart of Madrid has been crucial to the project’s success.
This one-kilometer location, ending at a Digital Realty (Interxion) data center, has served as the starting point from where the innovative AccuCore™ HCF optical fiber cable developed by OFS| Furukawa Solutions, the world’s leading company in high-quality “Hollow Core” cable technologies in the telecommunications market, was deployed.
Alongside them, Nokia, a recognized company for its advanced technology in the telecommunications sector, has played a fundamental role in this alliance, being responsible for the underlying technology and the test execution.
This successful pilot demonstrates the commitment to fiber optic innovation by lyntia, Nokia, OFS| Furukawa Solutions, and Interxion (Digital Realty). The four companies will continue to collaborate to take hollow core fiber technology to the next level, paving the way for a more efficient and innovative era in the telecommunications industry.
“Innovations like Hollow Core fiber significantly contribute to accelerating the digitization of the economy, and conducting this pilot from Madrid guarantees superior reach,” comments Javier Montemayor, operations director of Digital Realty in Madrid.
In the words of David Knight, Product Line Manager at OFS| Furukawa Solutions, “Recent tests conducted in Paris and Madrid in collaboration with our technological partners demonstrate the unique optical advantages of Hollow Core transmission. OFS AccuCore HCF™ solutions are proven and available now to support emerging applications where hollow core fibers enable next-generation performance.”
Similarly, Eduardo Duato, CTIO of lyntia, highlights: “This pilot is part of lyntia’s constant innovative spirit to increase the value we offer to our customers. In our strategic plan, we aim to work with partners who share the same spirit and allow us to offer our customers the most cutting-edge technologies.”
Rafael de Fermín, Senior Vice President of Network Infrastructure for Europe at Nokia, said: “Nokia is very pleased with the results of the hollow core fiber field test in the heart of Madrid. We are delighted to partner with lyntia, OFS, and Interxion in this achievement and prepare to meet the growing demand in networks. With this new technology, operators will be able to surpass the limits of super-coherent performance to provide massive network scale and reach, while ensuring more sustainable growth.”
About lyntia Networks
lyntia Networks is the leading neutral operator in the wholesale telecommunications market, with more than 48,000 km of deployed fiber, offering connectivity services over optical fiber with extensive network coverage and great capillarity. Additionally, lyntia Networks provides all types of connectivity services: dark fiberIn the field of telecommunications, dark fiber (or unlit fib…, capacity, Internet, colocation, cloud connection, etc.
lyntia Networks’ optical fiber network connects the most important cities in the country and serves more than 3,200 populations. Additionally, it has connections to the main landing points of submarine cables in the Iberian Peninsula.
About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act as one. As leaders in B2B technological innovation, we pioneer networks that sense, think, and act through our work in mobile, fixed, and cloud networks. Additionally, we create value with long-term intellectual property and research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.
Service providers, businesses, and partners worldwide rely on Nokia to deliver secure, reliable, and sustainable networks today, and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.
About OFS| Furukawa Solutions
OFS| Furukawa Solutions is a leading global designer, manufacturer, and supplier of optical fiber, fiber optic cable, connectivity, fiber to the home (FTTx), and specialized optical fiber products. We leverage our development and manufacturing resources to create solutions for applications in areas such as telecommunications, medicine, industrial networks, sensing, aerospace, defense, and energy. OFS| Furukawa Solutions offers unmatched leadership in installation solutions, connectivity, and hollow core cable.
Headquartered in Norcross (near Atlanta), Georgia, USA, OFS is a global supplier with branches and factories in various countries around the world. OFS is part of the Furukawa Electric Group, a multibillion-dollar leader in optical communications.
About Digital Realty
Digital Realty connects businesses and data through comprehensive colocationHousing facilities are a type of data center wher… and interconnection solutions in their data centers. PlatformDIGITAL®, Digital Realty’s global data center platform, provides customers with a secure meeting space and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx™) methodology to drive their digitalization and effectively manage the challenges posed by Data Gravity. Digital Realty’s global network of data centers provides customers with access to interconnected business communities in more than 300 centers across over 50 cities in 25 countries on six continents.