Frontier taps Nokia for trial of 25 Gbps broadband network

Nokia and Frontier Communications have completed the U.S.’s first-ever trial of 25G PON broadband technology. PON, or Passive Optical Network is the technology used to provide blazing-fast broadband to customers over fiber-optic cables. The two companies will continue trials on Frontier’s network while planning for commercial deployment in the second half of 2022.

Consumer and business customers need increased bandwidth to advance beyond basic applications and amplify their use of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics.

Nokia’s 25G PON technology allows Frontier to use its current fiber-optic network to easily provide increased bandwidth for consumers and enterprise customers. Since GPON, XGS-PON and 25G PON operate on different wavelengths, they can co-exist on the same fiber, avoiding the capital expense of building a parallel network.

In addition to strengthening Frontier’s fiber-optic network speed advantage, 25G PON technology will increase the cost efficiency of deploying high-capacity networks to business and consumers and enable the company to sell capacity to 5G mobile operators.

Veronica Bloodworth, Frontier’s Chief Network Officer, said: “Successfully completing the first U.S. trial of the country’s fastest fiber broadband is a critical step in offering a competitive advantage for Frontier and our customers. We already have one of the largest XGS-PON networks in the country and this technology will ensure our network will continue to offer the fastest, most technologically advanced broadband service available.”

“Our consumer and enterprise customers have an ever-increasing need for bandwidth,” Bloodworth noted. “25G PON will give them the confidence Frontier can scale with their needs as bandwidth applications like holographic calls and Augmented Reality become commonplace.”

Sandy Motley, President Fixed Networks, at Nokia said: “The beauty of fiber is its almost limitless capacity. We’re proud to support Frontier as it makes this transition to 2.5 x higher speeds simply by the addition of new optics. The key to making this work is Nokia’s Quillion chip, which provides a solution that supports three generations of PON technology from a single platform already in the Frontier network.”