NetCologne Taps Nokia G.fast to Extend FTTH Network

Nokia has deployed its G.fast solution to extend the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network of NetCologne, the largest regional telecommunications provider in Germany with over 28,000 kilometers of laid fiber-optic cables.

Nokia’s G.fast technology allows NetCologne to extend fiber service into buildings to give end users the option of accessing up to five times faster access speeds, reaching up to 1Gbps. Powered by Nokia software-defined access networks, NetCologne innovates with flexible cloud operations and brings new digital services to market fast in the greater Cologne/Bonn/Aachen area.

As a provider of network infrastructure to NetCologne for the last 25 years, Nokia is now set to support extensive upgrades to 30,000 Fiber to the Building (FTTB) installations, upgrading the last drop from VDSL2 to G.fast technology.

Nokia G.fast 212 MHz technology will not only bring ultra-broadband speeds to NetCologne’s customers, the technology upgrade will also increase operational efficiency as zero touch provisioning cuts rollout costs and configuration time in half.

Once NetCologne’s FTTB footprint is transitioned to G.fast, the Nokia Altiplano cloud platform will allow the operator to get better insights in increasing volumes of operational data and automate operations across the entire access network.

Horst Schmitz, Head of Technology at NetCologne, said: “We provide the city of Cologne and associated regions with leading-edge telecom services. Nokia delivered a highly customisable solution that is ideal for the next step in our network plans: bringing gigabit connectivity cost-effectively into buildings. On top, the cloud platform improves our automation capabilities today and for any future devices added to the network over time.”

Sandra Motley, President of Fixed Networks at Nokia, said: “We are proud to work with NetCologne as it embarks on the next phase of fiber expansion. NetCologne becomes a first-mover in the market with SDN-enabled G.fast, which will strenghten its competitiveness. Nokia’s software-defined portfolio enables NetCologne to advance into the cloud era with more agile, manageable and programmable broadband networks.”