Australia’s NBN and Nokia demonstrate multi-generation optical technologies concurrently over existing FTTP infrastructure

NBN Co and Nokia conducted a laboratory demonstration involving multiple optical access and coherent transmission technologies running at the same time over the company’s existing Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network. The work focused on whether the current full-fibre infrastructure could support future bandwidth needs.

The trial, called “Supercharging Fibre,” was presented at the Broadband Forum Spring Member Meeting in Australia, hosted by NBN Co. In the controlled laboratory environment, the setup used multiple optical technologies over a single physical fiber link to show aggregate transmission rates exceeding 230 Gbit/s.

NBN Co said the demonstration combined coherent optical transmission with multiple generations of Passive Optical Network (PON) technologies: GPON, XGS-PON, and 50G-PON. The description included coherent optics using advanced modulation and digital signal processing to support extended reach, low latency, and low spectral efficiency, and it framed the exercise as a way to evolve access and transport behavior without extensive physical network replacement.

NBN Co also reported results tied to its FTTP rollout position, including that by 31 December 2025 more than 1 million customers had transitioned from copper-based services to high-speed full-fiber connections, about 35% of total connections. It added that the company ordered multi-gigabit-capable wholesale broadband services for 10 million premises, about 90% of its NBN fixed-line footprint, and that upgrade activities covered over 228,000 premises as part of extending full-fiber access to 95% of the remaining ~622,000 copper-served locations by 2030.