Orange Belgium Selects Nokia for Converged Optical Network Transformation

Orange Belgium and Nokia have initiated a multi-year cooperation to modernize the operator's telecommunications infrastructure through a converged optical transport network. This deployment integrates fixed and mobile data streams to support high-capacity enterprise applications and consumer telecommunications sectors.

Architecture of the Converged Optical Transport Network
The infrastructure upgrade transitions the operator from separate fixed and mobile transport systems to a unified network architecture. This core routing environment utilizes the Nokia 1830 PSS platform to manage data transport from customer-provided equipment through metro access nodes and into the backbone infrastructure. The hardware configuration handles scalable data transmission rates ranging from 1G to 400G. By deploying thin transponders on the 1830 PSS framework, the architecture optimizes physical space and power consumption while establishing a foundation for quantum-resilient security measures and 5G connectivity.

Automation Systems and Control Plane Mechanisms
To operate the consolidated infrastructure, the network integrates the WaveSuite software solution to automate provisioning and streamline management tasks. The system relies on a Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS) control plane to govern routing paths, which provides automatic failure recovery and higher physical resiliency across the fiber topology. Furthermore, the deployment enforces end-to-end synchronization management directly with the existing Nokia Radio Access Network (RAN) hardware base, ensuring that latency-sensitive packets maintain strict timing alignment as they traverse the optical core.

Workload Scaling for High-Bandwidth Services
The convergence of optical transport mechanisms specifically addresses application areas requiring low latency and high bandwidth, such as machine learning processing, automated machine-to-machine communications, and sustained video transmission. Philippe Toussaint, CTO at Orange Belgium, indicated that unifying fixed and mobile optical networks provides the structural requirements for 5G expansion and the implementation of quantum-safe security protocols. Guil Yazdi, VP at Nokia, noted that as computing demands scale, telecommunication networks must transition away from legacy architectures and linear growth models to adequately process dense artificial intelligence workloads.

Additional Context:
This section details technical specifications and competitive benchmarking not included in the original product announcement

The optical transport network sector utilizes standardized benchmarks to evaluate core routing hardware, focusing on spectral efficiency, capacity per wavelength, and automation latency. The Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) competes directly with high-capacity optical transport systems such as the Ciena 6500 family and the Huawei OptiX OSN series. Benchmark criteria for these platforms involve measuring power consumption per transmitted bit and the module density available for both metro and long-haul deployments. While competing systems similarly offer coherent routing from 400G up to 800G, technological differentiation typically relies on proprietary control plane algorithms, such as specialized GMPLS implementations, and the integration efficiency between the optical transport layer and the operator's existing RAN architecture.

Edited by Natania Lyngdoh, Induportals editor, assisted by AI.

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