Nokia and SK Broadband announced the launch of the fastest fiber access network with aggregate speed of 52.5 Gbps, in Seoul, South Korea.

The fiber access network will be available to a set of apartments in Seoul, South Korea.

SK Broadband, provider of fiber ultra-broadband services, was the first to commercialize 2.5 Gbps GPON technology in 2006, and also first to launch 10 Gbps Internet service jointly with the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, and the National Information Society Agency using 10 Gbps E-PON technology, in 2014.

In collaboration with Nokia, the provider has reused the existing fiber network and access platform, on which Gigabit Passive Optical Network technology (GPON) was already deployed at 2.5 Gbps, and can now be boosted up to 52.5 Gbps.

SK Broadband has implemented multi-dwelling units (MDUs) from HFR and universal next generation PON solution from Nokia to aggregate different technologies on the existing fiber network like:

# TWDM-PON with 40 Gbps symmetrical

# XGS-PON with 10 Gbps symmetrical

# GPON with 2.5 Gbps

Also, the universal next generation PON claims to offer cost-efficient upgrades and operational efficiency, due to its wavelength mobility, alongside better speeds.

South Korea, currently tagged as the most connected country offering top upload and download speeds universally, plans to make Gigabit broadband available to all citizens by 2020.

South Korea has the highest mobile broadband penetration universally at 91 percent, with more than 55 percent of households connecting over Fiber-to-the-Home/Fiber-to-the-Building, reveal Pacific Telecommunications Council.

Also, Nokia leads the market with over 55 next generation fiber trials, including U-NGPON, XGS-PON and TWDM-PON, and developed the MDU in collaboration with HFR.

This offering by SK Broadband will add to the competitive business environment of the country, claims the release.

“Following the world’s first commercialization of an ADSL service and the two-pair LAN cable 500M service, we will establish a top-class optical Internet platform to create the best Gigabit broadband service environment for our customers,” conveyed Yoo Ji-chang, head, Network Division, SK Broadband.

SK Broadband previously signed an MOU for cooperation in the communication broadcasting network management with Telkom Indonesia.

SK Broadband has announced a capex of KRW 2.1 trillion in 2016 against KRW 1,891.3 billion it invested in 2015.

Vina Krishnan

[email protected]