Bell announced Friday that it has successfully hit download speeds of 50 Gbps on its existing fibre infrastructure.
The demonstration of the 50G PON (passive optical network) shows that the telco can get speeds of up to 10 Gbps, 25 Gbps and now 50 Gbps on a single fibre, it said, adding it opens the door to more use cases for its fibre infrastructure, including enterprise applications and 5G backhaul capabilities.
The trial was completed with telecom Nokia at Bell’s Advanced Technical Lab in Montreal, and “demonstrates a major leap forward in network capacity and capability,” a press release said.
“This successful trial proves the seamless integration of 50G PON technology with our existing PON networks, utilizing our current fibre infrastructure,” the release added. “This means we can efficiently and cost-effectively prepare for the future demands of high-bandwidth applications while maximizing our existing network investments. 50G PON allows us to offer higher speeds over our existing fibre infrastructure, eliminating the need for additional installations.”
Telcos and cablecos, with their own advances in DOCSIS cable technology, have been going head-to-head on download speeds as more Canadians seek faster internet speeds.
Screenshot from Bell demonstration video
