Brightspeed and Calix say they have successfully tested 50G PON alongside XGS-PON and GPON on the same optical distribution networks (ODNs).
The trial was conducted at the Brightspeed Technology Advancement Center (BTAC). It featured the Calix Broadband Platform, which includes the Calix Cloud.
“This is exactly the type of cutting-edge innovation we envisioned would come from the Brightspeed Technology Advancement Center (BTAC) when we launched it in 2023,” Brightspeed Chief Network Officer Brian Bond said in a press release.
“By planning today for 50G PON, we’re building a foundation for tomorrow’s connectivity, whether that means 8K streaming, next-gen telehealth, or the future of remote work and entertainment,” the Brightspeed announcement said.
Brightspeed said that the result is a carriage of multiple technologies over “a single, unified network infrastructure” and positions it to support private networks, fixed wireless, mobile backhaul and other services on a single platform.
The proliferating needs for more bandwidth and a wider variety of configurations is clear. Some examples of how operators and vendors are meeting the need:
- Brightspeed isn’t the first to deploy 50G PON. Last November, Sonic Fiber Internet and Adtran entered into a collaboration to deploy symmetrical 50G PON technology in California. The goal was to support both business and residential customers’ use of GPON, XGS-PON in “combo PON” scenarios.
- During the previous month, Nokia said that it would work with Centranet, an electrical cooperative, on a commercial trial of a 50G fiber connection for the Sac and Fox nation. Nokia says it is the first test of a 50G broadband connection on Tribal lands in Oklahoma.
- In September, Calix said it and ALLO Communications conducted a 50G PON trial (similar to the Brightspeed trail) on the service provider’s production network in Lincoln, Nebraska. The press release said the test used the Calix Broadband Platform.
- Almost a year ago — in July 2024 — Google Fiber said it had successfully tested a 50 Gbps connection on a live network. The test used 50G PON technology on a live network of fiber huts in Kansas City.
