Optical trial demoes speeds of up to 1 Terabit per second.

Proximus and Huawei have demonstrated speeds of 1 Terabit per second (Tbps) in an optical trial.

The speed, which equates to the transmission of 33 HD films in a second, is the first outcome of the partnership between the two companies which was formed in January.

The trial was conducted over a 1,040 kilometre fibre link using an advanced ‘Flexgrid’ infrastructure with Huawei’s Optical Switch Node OSN 9800 platform.

Particular attention has been paid to the role of access networks in increasing speed, such as 4G in a mobile context and fibre for broadband. However, the core network will be increasingly important in addressing bandwidth requirements.

The Huawei-Proximus trial falls short of Alcatel-Lucent and BT’s trial last year, which achieved 1.4 Tbps.

Jeffrey Gao, President of the Huawei transmission network product line, said:

"The network is turning to DC (Data Centre) centric, which brings a boost demand for increased bandwidth. Businesses are currently undergoing a digital transformation and consumers require always-on connectivity.

"Huawei supports its customers through innovation; together we build simplified networks ensuring the best user experience towards end users. This trial is testimony of Huawei’s engagement to innovation."

Geert Standaert, Chief Technology Officer at Proximus, said: "At Proximus we pledge to satisfy the evolving customers demand by investing in new technologies to offer them the best quality and service.