Nokia wins optical tech award, brings 10G fibre to Iceland with Mila upgrade

Leading comms tech provider Nokia has won a number of endorsements for its range of optical networking products and announced a deal with Icelandic comms provider Mila in a network upgrade that the company says represents the first comprehensive multi-passive optical network (PON) solution in Iceland. 

It has also published research from analyst Omdia showing that it dominates the global XGS-PON optical line terminal (OLT) equipment market, taking the number one position worldwide since the third quarter of 2021.

Claimed to be Iceland’s leading telecommunications provider, Mila has built an access network that connects nearly every company and household in the country. Currently, more than 90% of the homes have access to 1Gbps internet services. However, it said the growth of home working, gaming, enterprise applications and the digital economy is pushing the need for new multi-gigabit services.

Through the deal, Mila is said to be first provider to deploy next-generation XGS-PON services in Iceland, allowing it to upgrade to 25G PON using its existing fibre network. Nokia has been selected as the sole supplier to upgrade Mila’s fibre network to support new multi-gigabit services it plans to offer its more than 60,000 customers across Iceland. Nokia’s multi-PON solution will initially be deployed in the capital, Reykjavik, before being expanded to other cities and regions.

By using Nokia’s multi-PON fibre broadband solution, Mila said it could establish a future-ready network capable of addressing growing consumer demand for more capacity and enhanced broadband services. The deployment, which includes the upgrade of existing Nokia fibre access nodes and optical line terminals, is set to be completed in 2024.

“We’re dedicated to delivering a world-class network that empowers our users with the high-speed broadband necessary to fuel their home and work applications,” said Jóhanna Guðmundsdóttir, chief commercial officer at Mila. “Leveraging Nokia’s multi-gig fibre broadband solution, we’re equipping our users with the essential broadband capacity they require in their daily lives, ensuring each can enjoy the ultimate connectivity experience.”

Nokia’s fibre access solution is powered by its Quillion chipset, which currently supports three generations of PON technologies, including GPON, XGS-PON and 25G PON. With the Quillion chipset at the heart of the solution, Nokia said Mila would be able to quickly upgrade its network to next-generation PON technology when it wants to add more capacity. It will also help Mila lower its power consumption by 50% and establish a smaller carbon footprint due to energy-efficiency gains that help reduce operational expenses.

“We are thrilled to have been chosen by Mila to introduce 10G broadband to Iceland,” said Geert Heyninck, general manager of broadband networks at Nokia. “Mila has ambitious goals to make multi-gig broadband a reality for its 60,000+ customers, and we are honoured to be a part of their journey.”

Omdia’s report found Nokia has been the leading XGS-PON OLT supplier in North America since early 2018 and also holds the top market position in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and in Latin America and the Caribbean. The analyst calculated that Nokia has shipped more than 2.1 million XGS-PON OLT ports since the beginning of 2018 and that XGS-PON OLTs are dominating shipments in many countries, as bandwidth demand continues to grow, along with the use of PON for non-residential customers and services.