Optical Communications

• Telco spending on network technology dipped by 11% year on year in 2024, according to research firm Dell’Oro Group
• The only sector that didn’t shrink was fixed broadband equipment 
• Don’t expect a recovery – overall, telco spending on network gear is expected to be flat this year

• Nokia completes acquisition of Infinera to create innovation powerhouse in optical networks, with the scale to power the data center revolution
• Brings together two pioneering leaders in the optical networks market.
• Creates an optical networks powerhouse – underpinned by the cutting-edge research of Nokia Bell Labs – with the

Swedish police investigate suspected sabotage of undersea telecom cables operated by Finnish cable operator Cinia at the Baltic Sea.

Spanish operator group Telefónica has set up a secure comms link between two hospitals in Madrid, encrypting it using a quantum key distribution (QKD) system.

Spotlight on 5G is back! From 3-6 March, we’ll bring you comprehensive, multimedia coverage of the hottest industry news, game-changing announcements, cutting-edge solutions, and groundbreaking product launches that take place at MWC25.

Japan's NTT claims to have made a breakthrough that could herald a new era in high-capacity backbone networking.

IQ Fiber, a provider of 100% fibre-optic internet, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ThinkBig Networks, a Maryland-based fibre-optic internet provider.

Where technology, policy and commerce converge

To ensure that SMEs have a front-row seat to telecoms standards making, our Standards Champion, Andy Reid, attends key standards meetings to observe, participate in conversations and report back on key themes and discussion points.

Here, Reid shares his reflections on the recent ECOC event in Frankfurt.

• Transatlantic partnership extends potential for capacity, speed and latency while reducing power usage on popular Europe/US route.
• Service trial spanned 8500km subsea and terrestrial route over live production network.
• 800GbE can support advanced network applications like AI data center networking, content delive

• BT and Toshiba have already deployed a quantum-safe metro network in the London area
• Now they have teamed up with datacentre operator Equinix
• Its facilities in Canary Wharf, London, and Slough will be connected by data links protected using quantum key distribution

Nokia and OTE Group set dual world-record optical transmission rates over ultra long distances

Inventory Correction to Continue for at Least One More Quarter

Prysmian, a leader in the energy transition and digital transformation, and a major employer in the Lexington, South Carolina area, has won its trade secrets case against its competitor Sterlite Technologies, Inc. and Prysmian’s former executive, Stephen Szymanski.

A series of Future Capability Papers, authored by the UKTIN Expert Working Groups, are being published over the coming months. Find out more here.

Nokia is splashing the cash in hopes of capitalising on the burgeoning US fibre market.

The quantum computing era and its upsides and downsides might still be years away, but the threat to communications network security set to be posed by cyber criminals armed with quantum computers is already being addressed by multiple telcos and vendors, with Ciena and Toshiba the latest to team up and show off their quantum-safe networking cap

UKTIN member company, Finchetto, has been awarded £1m to develop the world’s first fully optical switch for telecoms networks.

As a part of UKTIN’s Optical-themed month, we spoke to Francesco Poletti, an academic professor at the University of Southampton, where he co-founded a start-up called Lumenisity. 
 

The UKTIN Expert Working Groups bring together academic and industry leaders and experts, governmental and regulatory specialists, and representative bodies to explore the opportunities, gaps and challenges in the UK telecoms ecosystem.