(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/NI QIN)
Huawei, in collaboration with Proximus, has successfully completed a field trial that achieved optical transmission speeds of up to 1 Tbps. At that rate, roughly 33 high-definition films could be transferred every second, demonstrating a major advancement in fiber-optic capacity and efficiency.
The trial marks Huawei’s first public technology test with an operator after the companies began their partnership in January. As consumer and business demand for bandwidth continues to climb—driven by digital transformation, cloud services, and always-on connectivity—operators are preparing their networks for future growth. This trial was designed to validate approaches that increase backbone capacity while preserving existing infrastructure.
Jeffrey Gao, President of Huawei’s transmission network product line, explained the motivation: “The network is becoming data-center centric, which drives strong demand for higher bandwidth. Businesses are undergoing digital transformation and consumers expect continuous connectivity. Huawei supports customers through innovation; together we build simplified networks that deliver the best user experience. This trial reflects Huawei’s commitment to innovation.”
We want to let our network infrastructure evolve to support current and future bandwidth demands
The test used a single super-channel OTN card with a 1 Tbps transmission speed on Proximus’ optical backbone. Results indicate that Proximus’ future backbone—currently based on 200 Gbps channels—could evolve to 400 Gbps channels and even to 1 Tbps super-channels. By reusing the existing optical platform, chassis, and slot architecture, Huawei says core link capacity could increase from 16 Tbps to 20 Tbps without a complete hardware overhaul.
Researchers conducted the trial over a 1,040-kilometer fiber span using an advanced flexgrid infrastructure and Huawei’s Optical Switch Node OSN 9800 platform. Flexgrid technology boosts fiber capacity by reducing the spectral gaps between channels, increasing channel density and spectral efficiency. According to Huawei, this technique can make fiber roughly 150% more efficient than typical 100 Gbps core links in use today.
Geert Standaert, Chief Technology Officer at Proximus, emphasized the operator’s commitment: “At Proximus we pledge to meet evolving customer demand by investing in new technologies to deliver the best quality and service. Together with Huawei we want our network infrastructure to evolve to support current and future bandwidth demands and provide our customers with an outstanding user experience.”
The trial demonstrates a practical path for operators to scale backbone capacity significantly while leveraging much of their existing equipment. Achieving 1 Tbps on a single super-channel highlights how flexgrid and next-generation OTN technologies can unlock greater efficiency and prepare networks for ever-growing data needs from consumers and enterprises alike.
Are you impressed by the transmission speeds demonstrated in the Huawei and Proximus trial? Share your thoughts in the comments.