Vodafone wants to squeeze 50Gbps out of fibre already in the ground
Key Points
- Vodafone and Nokia ran 50G PON alongside GPON and XGS-PON on existing fibre
- 50G PON offers up to 50Gbps, around five times XGS-PON's capacity
- Upgrades need only new cards and ports at the exchange, not new lines
- Businesses and mobile masts will get the extra capacity first
- Live multi-PON deployments across Europe are planned for 2026 and 2027
Vodafone and Nokia have tested 50Gbps fibre technology on existing broadband lines, the telcos have announced.
The trial at Vodafone’s Newbury laboratory showed that 50G Passive Optical Network (PON) equipment can run alongside the GPON and XGS-PON technology already deployed on its fixed network.
The technology delivers speeds of up to 50Gbps, around five times the capacity of 10Gbps-capable XGS-PON.
Vodafone said the extra capacity lets multiple customers in the same area use multi-gigabit broadband at the same time, with less risk of busy-hour slowdowns.
The company said the approach will keep its existing fibre network meeting demand beyond 2030 without replacing customers’ lines.
Cheaper exchange upgrades
Running several PON technologies on one network means Vodafone only needs to upgrade small interface cards and ports at a fibre access node, which works like a local exchange.
This avoids swapping out large hardware such as shelves and chassis, or the fibre connections running into homes and business premises.
Businesses and masts first
Vodafone expects early demand for 50G PON to come from clusters of business customers in locations such as business parks.
Mobile backhaul, which links phone masts to the core network in busy urban areas, is the other early target for the extra capacity.
The trial also tested synchronisation technology that keeps base stations transmitting customer traffic in step, cutting delays and signal jitter.
Vodafone and Nokia demonstrated this over 25GS-PON and 50G PON using Telecom Boundary Clock (T-BC) and Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) technology.
T-BC is a hardware clock that coordinates traffic moving across the network.
“This successful trial shows we can future-proof our existing fibre broadband network, whether it’s AI agents and machines conversing or people using immersive applications,” said Gavin Young, Head of Fixed Access Networks at Vodafone.
“It also allows us to target upgrades where they are needed most, increasing capacity at lower cost, and focus on improving customer experience,” Young added.
“Together with Vodafone, we have validated key capabilities for converged fixed and mobile networks, reinforcing the strength of our strategic partnership and our shared commitment to innovation,” said Mangesh Kulkarni, Client Executive Vodafone Group at Nokia.
Vodafone plans further multi-PON tests, including live deployments, across its European fibre footprint during 2026 and 2027.
