The telecom market in Spain is experiencing a real revolution. Not only because of the Vodafone branch in our country, but also because there are already several operators that are testing the fastest fiber in the world with up to 50 Gbps speed. If a few days ago it was Digi, now Orange joins the select group of operators that have already been able to put it to the test.
It seems that Orange’s 10 Gbps is already beginning to be a little too little. And, for this reason, operators are already beginning to test 50G-PON technology with which they can reach up to 50 Gbps connection speed. In this case, Digi was ahead of the French operator, however, it is clear from these tests that the future lies in further improving the ultra-fast fixed broadband service for users.
Orange and ZTE hand in hand
Digi is not the only operator in Spain that has been able to test the new 50G-PON technology with which speeds of up to 50 Gbps are achieved. Orange, accompanied by ZTE, was already able to show the network and client equipment with which it will be possible to deploy this particular technology.
In addition, they make it clear that speeds above 50 gigabytes can be offered by unifying several technologies in a single port. This was announced by ZTE Spain on its LinkedIn profile: «Last week we participated in a new edition of #ONFW where we were able to show the network and client equipment that will allow the new #50GPON Combo technology to be deployed, offering speeds above 50 gigabytes unifying various technologies in a single port.”
The demonstration was made in the latest edition of the Orange Network Fashion Weeb 2023, an event the French company holds annually in which it shows clients, employees, partners and institutions the different innovations it is working on with the objective of offering more advanced connectivity services.
However, it is not the first time that the operator shows the public what this technology can do. During the 2019 MWC, Orange already achieved what was once a speed record over fiber optics, reaching 50 Gbps. Although, with this latest demonstration we can see how this technology has evolved, which no longer seems so far from the future. And even more so when other companies like Digi are also developing 50G-PON networks.
50 Gbps in Spain?
The roadmap of the operators, at least in Digi and Orange, seems to become a little clearer. On the part of the Romanian operator, it was clear last week with its announcement that it could be the next fiber speed, and they confirmed that “when the service with up to 50 Gbps is available, it can be contracted through the company’s usual sales channels.” . Although, there is no release date.
On the Orange side, you can see the following phrase in the previous image: «After XGSPON comes 50GPON«. So everything indicates that the orange operator’s idea is to continue evolving this technology to, finally, improve its current fiber network, which reaches up to 10 Gbps connection speed.
And if we look back, we can see how the first operator in Spain to launch fiber with up to 10 Gbps connection was Digi, launched under the name PRO-Digi, in September 2021. And shortly after, Orange announced its network commercial 10 Gbps fiber over XGSPON in Spain. So the fight is more open than ever and focuses solely, it seems, on which operator will launch 50 Gbps first.
