SFR and Nokia have just made two technological prowess in the laboratory, by establishing an optical fiber link at 100 Gbit/s and an ultra -fast 5G connection. A superb demonstration that suggests a very high speed future for the Internet.

SFR and Nokia have just made two technological prowess in the laboratory, by establishing an optical fiber link at 100 Gbit/s and an ultra -fast 5G connection. A superb demonstration that suggests a very high speed future for the Internet.

SFR and Nokia have just taken an important symbolic stage in the evolution of Internet networks in France. The operator and the telecommunications equipment manufacturer have indeed managed to establish a fiber optical connection at 100 Gbit/s, a record that opens the way to future developments for fixed networks. These experiments, carried out in the SFR technolab in Vélizy, are the first of its kind in France and mark a new step in the development of Pon (Passive Optical Network) technology.

100g pon: fiber up to 100 gbit/s

The technology used, the 100G Pon, allows you to reach download speeds significantly higher than that of the solutions currently offered on the market. During tests, a peak of 82 Gbit/Its summer saved for download. By way of comparison, the best current fiber optic offers in France, such as those based on XGS-Pon technology (10g), cap at 10 Gbit/s. These tenfold performances are explained by the architecture of the Pon fiber, which divides a single fiber between several users while maintaining high flows.

However, this technology is not yet intended for commercial use. No internet access provider in France currently offers fiber 25g Pon, not to mention the 50g Pon, which also remains in the test phase. The marketing of the 100g Pon fiber is therefore still distant, but these tests demonstrate the long -term potential of fiber networks. Ultimately, this technology could offer a solution adapted to the growing needs of bandwidth of users, in particular due to the multiplication of online services demanding such as Cloud Gaming, 8K streaming, or even virtual reality applications.

Open Ran: very high speed aggregated 5g

In addition to these fiber tests, SFR and Nokia also carried out 5G SA experiments (Standalone, also called “true” 5G compared to the basic 5G NSA which is based on improved 4G) using Open Ran (Open Radio Access Network) technology. The latter allows interoperability between the radio equipment of different suppliers, thus offering increased flexibility for operators in the management and expansion of their mobile networks. SFR and Nokia managed to aggregate three frequency bands (1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 3500 MHz) to reach 2 Gbit/s flows on the 5G network.

Open RAN allows operators not to be dependent on a single equipment supplier, which gives them the opportunity to combine different equipment from several manufacturers to optimize their infrastructure. This standardized approach can accelerate the deployment of 5G SA in France, a technology on which SFR, Orange, Bouygues and Free are currently working. Free has been offering it for a few months, and Orange has just offered it for free to its private subscribers (sees our article). If the aggregation of the bands makes it possible to reach higher speeds, it also offers a finer management of the network by effectively distributing the bandwidth between the different services and users.

Ultra fast fiber and 5G: a technological feat, but not for immediately

Fiber 100g Pon and Open Ran represent significant advances for the future of networks in France, although their deployment remains to be confirmed in the coming years. If the 100 Gbit/s fiber is not yet accessible for the general public, these tests show the management that the telecommunications industry takes. They meet the growing needs of companies and private users in terms of speed, reliability and safety of connections.

However, it remains to be seen how these new technologies will be integrated into the commercial offers of French operators, and within what deadlines. The development of these innovations will also have to take into account profitability and compatibility issues with existing infrastructure. Especially since not everyone will need it, insofar as very few consumers fully exploit the very high speeds currently available with fiber (1 Gbit/s is more than a family, even by watching streaming videos and playing online). But one thing is clear: the next decade will undoubtedly see the arrival of faster and more flexible networks, adapted to the ever stronger requirements of digital society.