Nokia Expands 1830 PSS to Boost Network Capacity

Nokia has announced a significant expansion of its optical transport portfolio with the introduction of the 1830 Photonic Service Switch – High Capacity (PSS-HC) shelves, a next-generation upgrade to one of the world’s most widely deployed carrier-grade optical platforms.

Designed to help network operators scale efficiently in an age defined by cloud services, AI, video and mobile growth, the new solution directly addresses the escalating global demand for bandwidth.

The new shelves, including the PSS-10hc and PSS-4hc, deliver up to three times higher density and up to 60% lower power consumption per bit, allowing operators to expand their optical infrastructure while managing energy and space more effectively.

Optimised performance and seamless integration

The 1830 PSS-HC family builds on Nokia’s established optical transport technology, providing an upgrade path for existing 1830 PSS customers. The shelves integrate seamlessly into current network architectures, maintaining operational continuity and minimising disruption.

Engineered for high-density deployments, the PSS-HC shelves incorporate advanced power management and front-to-back airflow for improved cooling efficiency.

Each slot delivers up to 12Tb/s of throughput, supporting the latest embedded and coherent optical engines. It makes the platform particularly suited to high-capacity environments such as hyperscale data centres, metro networks and long-haul backbones.

The enhanced performance will allow telecom operators and service providers to deploy high-speed optical services faster and more cost-effectively, ensuring scalability for the next decade of digital growth.

Customer confidence in the 1830 PSS evolution

The 1830 PSS platform has long been a trusted foundation for operators seeking robust optical transport infrastructure and early customer feedback highlights strong confidence in its next evolution.

Vivek Gaur, Vice President of Engineering at Colt Technology Services, commented on the expected impact: “Nokia’s 1830 PSS-HC shelf builds on the current 1830 family of products used in our network.

"We anticipate the new enhancements to address our increasing capacity demands by utilising advanced optical engines while retaining the existing operational framework.”

Colt’s endorsement reinforces the solution’s compatibility with real-world network operations, underlining how the new shelves enable operators to scale capacity without overhauling existing systems.

Addressing the AI-driven bandwidth surge

The rise of artificial intelligence and data-intensive services is driving a step change in network traffic patterns. Operators now require infrastructure capable of scaling bandwidth faster, more efficiently, and at lower cost.

Ron Johnson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Optical Networks at Nokia, explained: “In the era of AI, operators need to scale bandwidth faster and more cost-effectively than ever.

"The 1830 PSS-HC shelves represent an important evolution of the 1830 PSS family, combining ultra-high density with greater capacity and the PSS rich set of carrier-grade features. With this evolution, operators can rapidly deploy high-speed services to keep pace with growing customer demand.”

For the telecommunications industry, the ability to deliver enhanced capacity without excessive power or space consumption is critical. Nokia’s new shelves provide the infrastructure resilience and flexibility required to support 5G, cloud computing and emerging AI workloads at scale.

Power efficiency meets scalability

Sustainability and energy efficiency remain top priorities for global operators.

The PSS-HC shelves address both by cutting power consumption per bit by up to 60%, contributing to reduced operational costs and supporting greener network strategies.

The design aligns with broader industry goals to reduce the environmental footprint of expanding network capacity.

The PSS-HC series also extends the lifecycle of existing 1830 deployments by offering a non-disruptive upgrade path, ensuring that operators can leverage previous investments while adopting the latest optical technologies.

Availability and industry impact

Nokia plans to begin customer trials of the PSS-HC shelves in late 2025, ahead of commercial availability in Q2 2026.

It expects strong interest from major carriers and data infrastructure providers looking to future-proof their optical transport systems against the backdrop of exponential data growth.

By combining higher density, lower energy use and seamless integration, Nokia’s 1830 PSS-HC platform represents a pivotal advancement in optical networking.

For telecommunications providers, it offers the means to deliver faster, more sustainable connectivity, meeting the relentless demand for bandwidth in an increasingly data-driven world.