NPS, Nokia and e& UAE, the flagship telecom arm of global technology group e&, have successfully completed a lab trial of Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS), featuring the PSE-6 high-performance optical engine, over Hollow Core Fibre (HCF), supplied by NPS, demonstrating 153 Tb/s of bidirectional C+L-band traffic on a single HCF with significantly lower latency than conventional single-mode fibre.
The trial validates Hollow Core Fibre as a practical, deployable technology for next-generation optical networks, unlocking premium, latency-tiered services for AI and other time-critical workloads. It demonstrates how operators can scale capacity on existing fibre builds, optimise deployment economics, and reduce energy per bit, while differentiating high-performance optical transport offerings for hyperscalers, financial services, and latency-sensitive industries. The results also support faster network rollout, reduced fibre consumption, and broader access to AI-enabled services including cloud computing, telemedicine, remote learning, public safety, and smart infrastructure.
“This trial showcases how pairing our 1830 PSS with Hollow Core Fibre can deliver both scale and speed,” said Samer Makke, Customer Team Head for Network Infrastructure, UAE at Nokia. “Achieving 153 Tb/s over C+L bands on a single fibre, alongside measurably lower latency than single-mode fibre, directly addresses the demands of AI networks for multi-terabit throughput and faster response times across distributed data-centre environments.”
Marwan Bin Shakar, Chief Technology Officer, e& UAE, said: “Partnering with Nokia and NPS has enabled us to unlock unprecedented capacity and latency performance. The Hollow Core Fibre solution delivers tangible business value — reducing fibre footprint, lowering energy costs, and enabling differentiated services for customers with the most demanding performance requirements.”
NPS supplied the Hollow Core Fibre used in the trial and provided deployment, validation, and operational expertise, helping bridge the gap between laboratory performance and real-world network implementation.
“High-capacity results are important, but what matters most is whether the technology can be deployed, operated, and justified commercially,” said Daniel Preston, Founder and CEO, NPS. “This trial shows that Hollow Core Fibre is no longer theoretical. Using production-grade HCF supplied by NPS and Nokia’s 1830 PSS, we’ve demonstrated a real, deployable step change in latency and capacity that operators can use today to support AI, financial services, and other time-critical applications.”
About e& UAE
e& UAE is the flagship telecom arm of e& in the UAE, built on a 5-decades legacy of connectivity excellence. Our mission is to deliver world-class superior connectivity experiences that fuel the UAE’s future-focused innovation.
Leveraging the latest world-class technologies, e& UAE aims to transform lives and industries, turning every connection into an opportunity for growth and every interaction into a transformative possibility.
We are focused on expanding our core services and digital marketplaces by enriching consumer value propositions that cater to new lifestyles and emerging demands beyond core telecom services, including health, insurance and gaming.
As a trusted enterprise partner, e& UAE continues to power entire industries with 5G and AI, delivering a tailored ecosystem of solutions to meet their connectivity needs and more, empowering them to automate, innovate, transform, and scale.
Strengthening our leadership position as an AI-powered telco, e& UAE delivers seamless connectivity, cutting-edge AI solutions, and sustainable innovation to uplift people and communities, and empower businesses and industries, so everyone thrives in a digital-first world.
To learn more about e& UAE, please visit: https://www.etisalat.ae
