Shanghai to Become World's First "10 Gigabit All-Optical City" by 2026, Led by China Telecom Shanghai with F5.5G Innovations

In the past decade, the all-optical industry has developed rapidly. Up to now, the number of gigabit users worldwide has exceeded 200 million. Over a dozen cities have announced "10-gigabit" proposals worldwide, with countries like Saudi Arabia and Singapore releasing policies to support such networks.

China has been leading the world in the construction of optical industry. Thanks to the joint efforts of advanced optical technologies of vendors, innovation of operators, and positive policies, Shanghai has developed from world’s first all-optical city to the first gigabit city, providing a good example for the rest of the world.

"We have already helped Shanghai achieve full dual-gigabit coverage with 5G and optical networks, a world first," said Jianping Zhang, senior deputy chief engineer of China Telecom Shanghai." In the F5.5G 10 gigabit era, China Telecom Shanghai is leading in R&D, service development, and infrastructure deployment."

China Telecom Shanghai aims to maintain its leadership in the space. "We are actively participating in the formulation of 50G PON standard by ITU-T and CCSA. Moreover, we released the 50G PON All-Optical 10Gbps Development White Paper last year," stated Zhang.

The decision by China Telecom Shanghai to adopt the 50G PON solution was driven by its technological enhancements and compatibility with older systems. For instance, Huawei's 50G PON Solution supports the coexistence of GPON, 10G PON, and 50G PON, and can be directly deployed on existing ODN networks, enabling smooth network evolution and on-demand upgrade, reducing network construction costs.

Beyond network upgrades, the companies are partnering to incubate new applications, including cloud storage, ultra-HD 3D livestreaming, 3D optical healthcare, and shallow compression cloud applications.

"Users will be able to upload or download 200 HD photos in one second. Meanwhile, families will be enjoying glasses-free 3D games, extended reality devices, and HD cloud gaming simultaneously," Zhang said. "This opens endless possibilities for AI applications in the future."

Advanced cloud computing applications are a particular area of focus. "Users can use cloud storage and cloud computers for the same experience as using local computers," Zhang noted. "The backup of photos, videos, and files to the cloud is as fast as local disk backup."

China Telecom Shanghai has so far built 10-gigabit pilot zones across Shanghai 16 administrative areas, including a specific demonstration district in Yangpu, providing valuable insights for future large-scale deployments.

"Huawei's 50G PON technology can transmit an enormous amount of data - equivalent to about 10,000 gigabits per second," said Zhishan Feng, president of Huawei Optical Access Product Line, adding that the system can support eight or 16 ports 50G PON board, making it possible to connect more users in apartment buildings or office complexes.

The solution also includes advanced technology to improve user experience, offering more consistent and predictable network experiences for users through end-to-end network slicing, according to Feng.

The technology is also set to drive growth in the smart home industry. "We expect that 80% of devices will be able to roam and interact with each other at home, with the switchover time reduced by 10-fold," Feng stated.

In an effort to showcase broader industry collaboration, Huawei, China Telecom Shanghai, and the World UHD Video Industry Alliance jointly released a white paper for shallow compression technology and application scenarios based on telecom network, aiming to improve the all-optical 10-gigabit industry chain and speed up its commercial use.

On the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day this year, the Shanghai Communications Administration Bureau released the action plan to guide Shanghai’s operators to build a dual 10-gigabit city based on 10-gigabit all-optical networks, accelerating the commercial use of the F5.5G all-optical 10-gigabit industry.

Zhang predicted that the network will significantly impact the city's economy as it is implemented over the coming years. "These F5.5G 10Gbps all-optical broadband can support collaborative office operations, smart manufacturing, AI quality inspection, and smart transportation management," he said, adding that "it will enable the digitalization of many industries."

Additionally, Zhang expressed the hope that many other existing use cases would emerge as the network is rolled out, stating that F5.5G 10Gbps all-optical broadband is a "completely new architecture" and will take time for advanced applications to develop. "We need the entire industry to collaborate in exploring infrastructure development, innovative applications, and widespread adoption," said Zhang.