Nokia and STC trial long-haul terabit data centre link

Details: John Tanner; Category: Optical & Fixed Networks; 10 January 2025; 12715 views

Nokia and Saudi Arabian telco STC Group say that they’ve successfully wrapped up what they claim is the first trial in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region of a long haul terabit optical solution for data centre interconnectivity.

The field trial – which tested the latest generation of Nokia’s Photonic Service Engine (PSE-6s) technology on STC’s live DWDM network – transported 6 x 100GE and 1 x 400GE services over a single 1-Tbps wavelength across 850 km.

Nokia said on Wednesday that the trial demonstrated the ability of its data center interconnect (DCI) DWDM solution to provide high-capacity, efficient, and scalable connectivity for data centres over long distances.

Nokia also said the solution will enable STC to seamlessly integrate it into its data centre environments to addresses the dynamic needs of AI/cloud services transport while also delivering improved network efficiency and performance.

Abdullateef Alsenan, GM of infrastructure design at STC Group, said the DCI solution would help the telco support growing demand for bandwidth-intensive applications such as AI, cloud services, and other digital innovations.

“This milestone reflects our ability to securely support massive traffic volumes, addressing the demands of cloud services and AI applications, ultimately supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives,” he said in a statement.