NBN Co completes world's first 100G live demo

NBN Co has completed a world first demonstration of 100 Gigabit (100G) technology on a live network. The trial using Nokia’s prototype 100G technology achieved a maximum wholesale-level download speed of 83 Gbps.

This marks the first time Nokia’s prototype 100G technology has been tested outside of a laboratory setting.

The demonstration at an NBN fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) exchange station in Sydney involved researchers from Nokia’s Bell Labs and was attended by representatives from the University of Technology Sydney and the Technology Council of Australia. The demonstration has validated the capabilities of the NBN FTTP network to meet future demand for capacity and adapt to changes in networking technology, according to NBN Co Chief Network Officer Dion Ljubanovic.

The demonstration also showed that the FTTP network can support the co-existence of multiple passive optical network (PON) technologies on the same fibre, meaning the network could evolve to multi-gigabit technologies without needing to change existing laid cable, he said.

“Fibre offers a faster, reliable and more energy-efficient connection. This is a key driver that propels us to continue to replace copper with fibre across the country and also work closely with Australia’s property development industry to support the creation of vibrant new communities equipped with fibre connectivity,” Ljubanovic said. “We are always looking for ways to push the capabilities — in both speed and reliability — of the entire NBN network. This successful demonstration shows we have the potential to deliver a step change in next-generation speeds over our network in the long term.”

The trial involved the combination of XGS-PON, 25GS-PON and 50G-PON signals to achieve an aggregate Layer 1 PON speed of 85 Gbps, as well as the combination of XGS-PON, 25GS-PON and 100 Gigabit signals to achieve an aggregate Layer 1 PON speed of 135 Gbps.

NBN Co and Nokia previously achieved symmetrical speeds of 21 Gbps in live field demonstrations in October 2023, a new Australian world record.