Nokia and t3 Supply Aureon With a New Transport Network

Nokia and t3 Broadband have supplied US Midwest-based broadband network operator Aureon with a new ultra-high-capacity optical transport network. 

This new route, which connects a major data centre development in Ellendale, North Dakota to the Chicago metro area, has an initial capacity of 100Tb/s with the ability to scale to 400Tb/s. This makes it Aureon’s highest-capacity network connection to date and allows it to deliver transport services at a scale normally seen only with hyperscale operators. 

The deployment is scaled to support the rapid growth of AI, cloud and hyperscale data centre workloads. It uses Nokia's 1830 Global Express (GX) platform, Super C and L-band optical line system, and 1.2T ICE7 coherent optics.

The benefits of advanced optical networking

“This deployment gives us the capacity and flexibility to support large-scale data centre interconnect requirements while establishing a blueprint for future expansion,” says George O’Neal, CEO at Aureon. “Working with Nokia and t3 Broadband has enabled us to bring a new level of transport capability to our network in the AI era.”

“AI is accelerating the need for scalable, high-performance connectivity between data centres,” adds Matt Young, Vice President Sales at Nokia. “Together with t3 Broadband and Aureon, Nokia is delivering the optical infrastructure needed to support that growth. This deployment highlights how advanced optical networking can help operators efficiently scale capacity, maximise fibre resources and build networks ready for the demands of AI.” 

“Our goal is to help customers build networks that are ready for what's next,” says Chris Crowe, t3 Broadband’s CEO. “Together with Nokia, we worked closely with Aureon to deliver a high-capacity optical transport solution that supports its long-term growth strategy. This deployment strengthens Aureon's ability to serve large-scale data centre and AI connectivity requirements while providing a foundation for future expansion.

The Midwest is a region on the rise

According to a report by the Synergy Research Group, the focus of US hyperscale developments has shifted towards the nation’s centre, with Texas and Midwestern states taking the lion’s share of future capacity. 

The analyst firm states that at the end of 2025, these accounted for a third of operational US hyperscale data centre capacity, but will represent 53% of the new capacity that is expected to come online over the next few years.

In the Midwest, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri are quickly gaining in importance, having attracted major projects from the likes of Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI.

In April 2026, Bloomberg reported that Facebook is intending to spend US$837m on a multi-year project to build a data centre in Wisconsin.