– The four companies were the first to conduct real-world field testing in Spain that combines innovative hollow core fiber technology with high-capacity coherent DWDM transport

– Hollow core fibers are designed to guide light without a solid core material to transmit data faster and more efficiently than in conventional optical fibers

– This breakthrough marks an unprecedented milestone in the telecommunications industry, reducing latency by more than 30% compared to traditional fiber

February 23, 2024 – Leading companies in the telecommunications and infrastructure sector, lyntia, Nokia, OFS|Furukawa Solutions and Digital Realty (Interxion) have  successfully carried out a field trial in a real environment that marks an unprecedented milestone . The four companies joined forces to implement and demonstrate the potential of  innovative hollow core fiber technology. 

By guiding light within a hollow core, light travels almost 46% faster than in conventional solid-core optical fibers, resulting in lower latency transmission. Furthermore, the reduced interaction between the optical signal and the fiber structure enables higher power to be transmitted.

A breakthrough in the telecommunications sector

Prior to implementing the technology in a real environment, pilot tests were carried out in a laboratory in Paris by optical network experts from Nokia Bell Labs.  The initial results showed a significant reduction in latency by more than 30% and a considerable decrease in non-linear effects compared to traditional optical fiber.

The pilot tests in Paris demonstrated data rates of 800 Gb/s and 1.2 Tb/s. The results show that  hollow fibers have the potential to break through the non-linear Shannon capacity limit of solid-core fibers.

The recently completed field trial in Madrid confirms the feasibility and effectiveness of hollow core technology. The trial demonstrated a round-trip latency reduction of 4.287μs over a 1.386km link; a latency reduction of more than 30% relative to conventional single mode fiber. The capacity deployed during the field trial was 6x100Gbps on a single 600Gbps wavelength, and 10x10Gbps on a single 100Gbps wavelength. 

The most typical use case for this technology is to provide connectivity between offices or data centers where low latency is critical for business services. Future developments are expected to improve the attenuation ranges and optical capacity of hollow core links.

Successful collaboration between lyntia, Nokia, OFS| Furukawa Solutions and Digital Realty

These results and expected future improvements in the technology reinforce lyntia’s commitment to continue developing high-quality, ultra-low-latency network infrastructure. The company’s strategic location in the heart of Madrid served as the starting point from which a 1.4km link was deployed to a Digital Realty (Interxion) data center using innovative AccuCore® HCF fiber optic cable developed by OFS| Furukawa Solutions, the world’s leading provider of high quality hollow core cable technologies for the telecommunications market. 

In addition, Nokia, a company recognized for its advanced technology in the telecommunications sector, played a vital role in this alliance providing the transmission equipment and field and lab testing.

This successful field trial highlights the commitment to innovation in the world of fiber optics by Lyntia, Nokia, OFS| Furukawa Solutions and Interxion (Digital Realty). The four companies plan to continue to take hollow core fiber technology to the next level, paving the way for a more efficient and innovative era in the world of telecommunications.

“Innovations such as Hollow Core fiber contribute significantly to accelerate the digitization of the economy, and the fact that this pilot was carried out from Madrid will result in an even greater impact,” said Javier Montemayor, director of operations at Digital Realty in Madrid.

In the words of David Knight, OFS|Furukawa Solutions Product Line Manager, “The recent trials completed in Paris and Madrid in collaboration with our technology 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 unlock next generation link performance.”

Eduardo Duato, CTIO of Lyntia, highlighted, “This pilot is part of Lyntia’s constant drive to innovate to increase the value we offer to our customers. In our strategic plan, we seek out partners who share this drive and that make it possible for us to offer our customers the most cutting-edge technologies.”

Rafael de Fermín, Senior Vice President of Network Infrastructure Europe at Nokia, said “Nokia is very pleased with the results of the hollow core fiber field trial in the heart of Madrid. We are delighted to partner with Lyntia, OFS| Furukawa Solutions and Interxion on this achievement in preparation for the growing demands on networks. With this new technology, operators will be able to push the boundaries of super-coherent performance, to deliver massive network scale and reach of services, while helping to ensure 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 a high level of capillarity. Lyntia Networks also provides all types of connectivity services: dark fiber, capacity, Internet, co-location, cloud connection, etc.

lyntia Networks’ fiber optic network connects the country’s major cities and serves more than 3,200 cities and towns. It also has connections to the main mooring points for underwater cables on the Iberian Peninsula.  

About Nokia

At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act as one. As a leader in B2B technology innovation, we pioneer networks that feel, think, and act through our work on mobile, fixed, and cloud networks. We also create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs. 

Service providers, businesses and partners around the world 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-subscriber (FTTx) and specialized fiber optic products. We put our development and manufacturing resources to work creating solutions for applications in areas such as telecommunications, medicine, industrial networks, sensing, aerospace, defense and energy. OFS|Furukawa Solutions offers unmatched leadership in installation, connectivity and hollow-core cable solutions. 

Based in Norcross (near Atlanta), Georgia, USA. OFS|Furukawa Solutions is a global supplier with offices and factories in different countries around the world. OFS|Furukawa Solutions is part of Furukawa Electric Group, a multi-million dollar leader in optical communications. Visit www.ofsoptics.com.

About Digital Realty

Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL®, the company’s global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data meeting place and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx®) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. Digital Realty gives its customers access to the connected data communities that matter to them with a global data center footprint of 300+ facilities in 50+ metros across 25+ countries on six continents. To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

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