Nokia & Zayo Europe Trial 800Gb/s Across 1,000km Network
Successful collaboration between Nokia and Zayo Europe has resulted in a significant milestone in network infrastructure.
Zayo Europe provides critical infrastructure to some of the continent's most forward-thinking organisations. With a network spanning over 2.3 million kilometres of fibre, including seven subsea cables and connections to more than 600 data centres, Zayo delivers agile, high-capacity connectivity across 17 metropolitan markets in 11 countries.
Its services support cloud providers, telecom carriers, system integrators and enterprises in delivering seamless digital experiences—from core to cloud to edge.
The two companies have completed a live field trial of an 800Gb/s alien wavelength connection between Paris and Marseille—an optical route spanning over 1,000 kilometres. The trial marks a significant achievement in integrating high-performance technology into multi-vendor optical environments.
The demonstration highlights how Nokia's state-of-the-art transponder technology can be smoothly embedded within Zayo Europe's existing optical network, reinforcing the flexibility and scalability of both providers' solutions.
As European industries move towards highly digitised operations, demands on network performance, capacity and reliability are intensifying—particularly with the rise of AI workloads, real-time data processing and the development of 6G networks.
Innovating beyond traditional boundaries
The trial leveraged Nokia's latest PSE-6s (Photonic Service Engine) coherent optics deployed over Zayo Europe's open and vendor-neutral optical line system. The setup significantly increased data-carrying capacity compared to standard 150GHz Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) channels.
By optimising data throughput over existing infrastructure, the trial demonstrated the feasibility of scaling network performance without requiring a full overhaul of physical assets.
Michael Katz, Chief Product Officer at Zayo Europe, remarked: "As economies continue to digitise, with the EU pushing to supercharge AI capabilities and Europe's 6G vision, there's an urgent need for networks to support these advancements.
"As a leading network infrastructure provider, we have always been at the forefront of innovation, being the first provider to upgrade its Pan-European network to support 400G client interfaces.
"This trial with Nokia sets a new industry standard as data centres increasingly mix and match equipment to enhance flexibility, reduce costs and improve performance."
Strengthening the backbone of Europe's digital future
The increasing complexity of digital infrastructure demands higher speeds and flexible, scalable systems capable of supporting evolving enterprise workloads. By design, Nokia's PSE-6s enable such transitions by allowing service providers to extend the lifecycle and performance of their existing infrastructure.
Paul Alexander, Vice President and Country General Manager of UK & Ireland at Nokia, stated: "At Nokia, we are committed to driving the next generation of network infrastructure by delivering cutting-edge technology that enhances performance, efficiency and scalability.
"Our collaboration with Zayo Europe in this live field trial showcases how our PSE-6s technology can seamlessly integrate into existing infrastructures, enabling service providers to meet the evolving demands of a digital economy.
"With the growing need for high-speed, high-capacity networks to support advancements in AI and 6G, this trial exemplifies the critical role of innovation in helping businesses and data centres stay ahead of the curve."
Future-proofing through collaboration
The trial highlights a growing trend in the telecommunications industry of a shift towards vendor-agnostic, interoperable networks. Such flexibility is vital for data centre operators and telecoms alike, who must continuously adapt to shifting traffic patterns, emerging technologies and evolving customer expectations.
By proving that next-generation transponders can operate seamlessly across existing multi-vendor optical infrastructures, Nokia and Zayo Europe's partnership offers a model for future network evolution, combining technological leadership with practical deployment strategies.
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