Nokia updated its Lightspan MF broadband platform with a new optical line terminal (OLT) capable of supporting up to 100G PON. Already the product is generating interest from top tier operators including Frontier Communications in the U.S. and CityFibre in the U.K.
The vendor’s family of Lightspan MF products are based on its Quillion chipset, which has already been touted as capable of up to 25G. But situated at the top of its product lineup, the new Lightspan MF-14 offers four times the capacity and sub-millisecond latency. Nokia also said the OLT boasts power efficiency that’s 20% better than the industry average and a modular software architecture.
Though the MF-14 is making its public debut this week, it seems Nokia has already been wooing operators behind the scenes. The vendor said the platform is already in trials with operators around the globe and has been chosen by several in North America, Europe and Asia.
Among these is Frontier, which late last year touted work with Nokia on 25G PON.
“We are proud to be the first to embrace this next-generation platform,” Scott Mispagel, Frontier’s SVP National Architecture and Engineering, said in a statement. “The MF-14 platform will support our path to 100G using our existing fiber network and future-proof our network with speeds that will continue to outpace cable and other technologies for generations to come.”
Frontier’s interest is notable given the operator is working to reach 10 million locations with fiber by 2025. Last week, it told Fierce it has already deployed to a half million locations in Connecticut and is looking to add 300,000 more in the state.
Meanwhile, CityFibre, which was also named in Nokia’s release, is aiming to reach up to 8 million homes in the U.K. by 2025.
The launch of Nokia’s new OLT is perhaps unsurprising given it showcased 100G trials with Vodafone in February 2021 and demoed a 100G network prototype at the Fiber Connect Conference in June of this year.
Deployments of the MF-14 platform are set to begin this year, Nokia said.