Nokia Oyj : and Rakuten Mobile prove case for 1 Terabit per channel transmission in live network

Press Release

Nokia and Rakuten Mobile prove case for 1 Terabit per channel transmission in live network

• Successful trial connects data centers located in the Kanto region
• Trial demonstrates the capability to quickly and easily scale network capacity and efficiency over existing Nokia open optical line system infrastructure

30 March 2022

Espoo, Finland and Tokyo, Japan - Nokia and Rakuten Mobile, Inc. today announced that the two companies havedemonstrated the first live 1 Tb/s per channel transmission over Rakuten Mobile's commercial Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexer (DWDM) network, a speed increase of 500% on Rakuten Mobile's existing network running at 200Gb/s. The trial took place over two days in January 2022 and connected data centers located 135km apart in the Kanto region in Japan.

The 1 Tb/s speed was achieved using coherent transmission powered by Nokia's Photonic Service Engine (PSE) supporting 1 Tb/s capacity over a 150 GHz optical spectrum. The trial demonstrated the ability to deliver 32 Tb/s per fiber in C-band which can be expanded to 64 Tbps by adding L-band over a Nokia DWDM line system used in Rakuten Mobile's optical network, vital to providing maximum capacity for the ever-increasing data demands and to support the latest generations of routers delivering 800 Gb/s Ethernet.

The Open Line System field trial, over Rakuten Mobile's existing commercial network, used Nokia's Photonic Service Engine inhouse Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a compact, high capacity, modular optical networking platform, optimized for Data Center Interconnect (DCI) applications over metro, regional and long haul.

John Lancaster-Lennox, Head of Market Unit Japan, Nokia, said: "The 1 Terabit per channel trial demonstrated the capability to dramatically increase fiber capacity and future-proof the Rakuten Mobile network infrastructure to support new high speed data center interconnection."

Rakuten Mobile is scaling up its network capacity to enable 5G connectivity, video, and new applications for its mobile subscribers and business partners.

Nokia's 1 Tb/s solution enables Rakuten Mobile to reduce its footprint, improving operational expenditure and flexibility to rollout in data centers.

Tareq Amin, Representative Director and CEOof Rakuten Mobile, Inc., said: "We are delighted with the performance of 1 Tb/s per channel on our optical network in collaboration with Nokia. This technical milestone will allow us to maximize bits per fiber and achieve improved power efficiency. The enhanced capacity will also support our traffic growth, deliver higher bandwidth and enable Rakuten Mobile to provide new service offerings."

Resources:
Technologies included in the trial:

• Webpage: Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Interconnect (PSI)-M
• Webpage: Nokia Photonic Service Engine (PSE) Coherent DSPs
• Webpage: Nokia wavelength routing solutions

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.

About Rakuten Mobile
Rakuten Mobile, Inc. is a Rakuten Group company responsible for mobile communications. As the fourth entrant to the mobile carrier business in Japan, Rakuten Mobile aims to redefine industry expectations and provide simple and easy-to-use mobile services through its innovative network technology.
For more information, please visit: https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/

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