NBN speeds hit 20Gbps in live network trial

NBN Co has announced successful technical field trials demonstrating symmetric speeds of 20Gbps.

The trial demonstrated multiple multi-gigabit technologies on one fibre, showing off the network’s ability to support GPON, XGS PON and 25GS PON physical layer protocols.

NBN Co first signed Nokia to deliver technology to support 25GS PON in December last year.

At the time, the network operator said the upgrade was based on Nokia’s MF-14 optical line terminals and the Altiplano access controller.

The trial moves the technology demonstrations from the lab to NBN Co’s live network, the company said.

“During the field trial, NBN Co and Nokia were able to achieve speeds of 8Gbps (symmetric) on XGS PON and 20Gbps (symmetric) on 25GS PON, a new Australian record for a passive optical network”, NBN Co said in a statement.

The trial was conducted without interrupting current active services on the existing GPON technology.

Chief network officer Dion Ljubanovic said the trial demonstrated that the fibre network is “limited only by the capabilities of equipment connected to it”.

“We now have around 775,000 homes on the NBN network using more than a terabyte of data per month, which has grown by more than 30 percent in the last year alone," Ljubanovic said