PRESS RELEASE: ZTE Corporation announced today that Hans Neff, Senior Director of ZTE CTO Group, shared ZTE’s perspectives and practices on the development of optical networks. He delivered a keynote speech titled “Discover the opportunities and challenges a multi-gigabit world enables” at the FTTH Conference 2024 in Germany.
Currently, 34% of the world’s population lacks Internet access, with significant disparities across different demographics and regions. The gap in Internet access is even more pronounced across different demographics: over 80% in developed countries versus only 36% in developing countries; 82% in urban areas compared to 45% in rural areas; and a more significant disparity between high- and low-income regions, with the ratio standing at 92% and 26%, respectively. In the process of narrowing the digital divide and advancing digital transformation, optical networks have emerged as the primary mode of broadband access. The average penetration rate of Fiber To The X (FTTx) is expected to increase from 69% at present to 80.2% in 2027, with rates in Asia, Eastern Europe, North America, and Latin America approaching 90%. The global fiber transformation is accelerating.
The past 30 years have witnessed significant changes in broadband technology, from the evolution of bandwidth speeds from 56Kbps to 10Gbps, to the transition from traditional web browsing to intelligent applications. None of these advancements would have been possible without the sustained support and assistance of optical networks. Optical Transport Networks (OTNs) have evolved from single-wavelength 2.5G speeds at the end of the 20th century to the current single-wavelength 400G/800G speeds. The application of OTN networks has expanded from being solely used in the backbone network to providing end-to-end, all-scenario fiber connectivity, covering the backbone, metropolitan area, and access networks. Access networks have also progressed from G/EPON to XGS-PON and 50G PON, laying a solid optical foundation for the development of the digital economy.
Thanks to characteristics like unparalleled speed, minimal latency, and robust connectivity, as well as significant advantages such as sustainability and scalability, Fiber To The Home (FTTH) networks have become the primary choice for global operators in fixed broadband development. The evolution of fiber broadband is not merely keeping pace with technology; it’s driving us into a digital renaissance, unlocking new services and revenue streams. In his keynote, Hans Neff provided a comprehensive analysis of the impact of FTTH, including on the economy, daily life, society, security, the environment, and digital development. He also discussed the challenges involved in building FTTH networks and called for the industry to jointly accelerate the construction of optical infrastructure to bridge the global digital divide.
As an enabler of the digital economy, ZTE is committed to creating end-to-end all-optical networks that deliver broader coverage to achieve comprehensive digital transformation and equitable access. On the residential side, ZTE employs Fiber To The Room (FTTR) technology to provide a 2,000Mbps Wi-Fi experience to every room of the home. On the access side, ZTE uses a future-proof 50G PON solution to boost the bandwidth capabilities of optical access networks.
The company also employs a precise 50G PON solution to provide deterministic bandwidth, latency, and jitter capabilities, supporting the development of various industries such as power, industrial manufacturing, and remote control. On the network side, ZTE utilizes industry-leading terabit OTN technology to achieve an ultra-long transmission distance of 8,250km for the backbone network and an ultra-large capacity of 96T for the metropolitan area network. Its 5-in-1 access OTN solution flexibly offers access rates ranging from 2Mbps to 100Gbps, enabling services including premium private lines, Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) replacement, home broadband, 4G&5G, and edge cloud access.
Moving forward, ZTE will continue collaborating with global partners to harness the full potential of network capabilities, bridging the digital divide and enabling a broader range of applications. This endeavor aims to usher in a new era of all-optical networks characterized by ubiquity, sustainability, and efficiency.