Nokia builds 400G optical backbone for du

Details: John Tanner; Category: Optical & Fixed Networks; 11 October 2023; 6351 views

Nokia revealed on Tuesday that it has built a new 400G national optical backbone network for Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), a.k.a du.

The optical backbone network – which crosses the entire UAE – is powered by Nokia’s latest generation of its Photonic Service Engine (PSE-V) and CDC-F ROADM technology.

Among other things, the network features GMPLS, which Nokia says will help du enhance its service level agreements (SLAs) by enabling automatic rerouting through alternate paths.

The optical backbone also enables network-as-a-service (NaaS) capabilities to monetize wholesale services.

Saleem Alblooshi, CTO at du, described the optical technology as “a game-changer” for the UAE, as it “not only enhances our subscribers' experiences but also ensures the creation of a national optical backbone that is energy-efficient, sustainable, and ready to face the future.”

Nokia claims its PSE-V “supports higher wavelength capacities over longer distances – including support for 400G over any distance – over spectrally efficient 100GHz WDM channels while further reducing network costs and power consumption per bit.”

The news follows last month’s announcement that du and Nokia signed a frame agreement to develop 5G applications for enterprises in the UAE.