Eurobites: Nokia and Openreach test 25G PON broadband tech

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: how to break through the '5G noise' in Europe; Revolut now worth £24 billion; Alexa to the rescue?

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

July 16, 2021

2 Min Read
Eurobites: Nokia and Openreach test 25G PON broadband tech

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: how to break through the "5G noise" in Europe; Revolut now worth £24 billion; Alexa to the rescue?

  • Nokia has teamed up with Openreach, the network access arm of UK incumbent operator BT, to test Nokia's 25G PON technology, which they say could deliver broadband services that are ten times faster than the UK's standard fiber offerings. The technology, say the companies, can run on the same underlying infrastructure that Openreach is already building across the UK, working together "seamlessly" with existing GPON and XGS-PON broadband platforms. The testing took place at Openreach's Adastral Park lab in Ipswich, and field trials are expected by the end of the year. Figure 1: Optical filter combining GPON, XGS-PON and 25G PON - a world first, according to Nokia and Openreach. Optical filter combining GPON, XGS-PON and 25G PON – a world first, according to Nokia and Openreach.

    • US radio frequency filter company Resonant is hosting a two-part webinar series entitled "Breaking Through the Noise of 5G in Europe" and featuring a panel of industry veterans from the likes of Broadcom, Apple and Microsoft. The first, Expert Insights on Unlocking the Potential of 5G in Europe, takes place on July 20 at 10 a.m. ET; the second, The Technology Enabling Europe’s Transition to 5G, on July 22, also at 10 a.m. ET.

    • Fintech company Revolut has become the UK's most valuable startup ever, according to a BBC report. Its latest funding round, which raised $800 million from Japan's SoftBank and New York-based Tiger Global Management, took its valuation to £24 billion ($33.1 billion). Revolut, founded by former Lehman Brothers trader Nik Storonsky, provides digitalized currency exchange, current account and crypto-currency services for customers across 35 countries.

    • "Alexa, how can we sell our fiber broadband packages?" UK broadband provider TalkTalk is throwing in an Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker and smart plug with its latest "Fibre Plus" offerings if the prospect of download speeds ranging from 38 Mbit/s to 290 Mbit/s for prices that start at £23 ($32) a month isn't enticing enough.

      — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

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About the Author

Paul Rainford

Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

Paul is based on the Isle of Wight, a rocky outcrop off the English coast that is home only to a colony of technology journalists and several thousand puffins.

He has worked as a writer and copy editor since the age of William Caxton, covering the design industry, D-list celebs, tourism and much, much more.

During the noughties Paul took time out from his page proofs and marker pens to run a small hotel with his other half in the wilds of Exmoor. There he developed a range of skills including carrying cooked breakfasts, lying to unwanted guests and stopping leaks with old towels.

Now back, slightly befuddled, in the world of online journalism, Paul is thoroughly engaged with the modern world, regularly firing up his VHS video recorder and accidentally sending text messages to strangers using a chipped Nokia feature phone.

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