Elisa, Nokia Take New Next Generation Communications Step

Remember when gigabit fiber seemed almost impossibly fast, and the kind of thing that no one would ever be able to top? Those days are now past, as the pace of development in next generation communications proves to be a lot faster than many may have expected. Nokia and Elisa (News - Alert)—a major figure in the Finland online services and information communications technology field—successfully tested a new network recently that yielded speeds in the 10 gigabit range.

Finland has been frantically developing its ultra-broadband capabilities, and given that half the households in Finland currently have access to a fixed connection of over 100 megabits per second (Mbps) in speed, it's clear that Finland is succeeding in getting ultra-fast access to just about everybody. This in turn makes Finland an excellent testing ground for developing new next generation communications technologies and getting said technologies into users' hands.

The new network depends heavily on the use of XGS-PON technology Nokia (News - Alert) developed, particularly Nokia's 7360 ISAM FX system. The 7360 is built using next generation PON, as well as the 7368 ISAM ONT system to help bring out the best possible network. Nokia is widely known for its PON technology, and has at last report staged over 40 separate trials worldwide. Thanks to this recently successful testing, Nokia is continuing to expand a worldwide customer base for its systems.

Elisa's head of broadband subscription business Matias Castren commented, “Utilization of the new XGS-PON technology means high-speed and higher-quality fixed broadband connections. Faster and better connections are needed for the new TV and video services, and increasingly higher quality video technologies such as the 4K technology. In addition, the increased number of devices of households using the Internet connection require higher bandwidths.”

With this, Castren illustrates why its recent tests with Nokia are so important; we know the rapidly advancing pace of communications technology will require an ever-more-robust network to operate on. We know that the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and similar “smart home” developments will require more bandwidth, as will the growth of digital video provision and mobile workforce systems. All of these things need bandwidth to run, and customers won't take “it's expensive!” too much longer, especially as 5G wireless capability comes into play. Incumbent Internet service providers (ISPs) will need to improve or risk losing market share, and that's where tests like these prove so valuable.

Nokia and Elisa's testing should prove to be a real advance for the market, and before long, we'll all likely have access to this level of connectivity.