Demonstrating Fiber’s Disruption at Fiber Connect 2023

As communities embrace the capabilities of fiber and companies continue to leverage and expand fiber’s versatility, service providers and vendors came together to demonstrate the growing and thriving ecosystem of applications, services, and technologies to support disruption, change market dynamics, and push the boundaries of what is possible. This year in Orlando, seven different Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations at Fiber Connect 2023 showcased the advances being made by leveraging the unlimited bandwidth, low latency, reliability, and lower power consumption of fiber to deliver innovation locally and network-wide. 

“When fiber leads, the future follows. Our PoC Showcase is a great example of the capabilities that fiber can deliver and the markets that fiber will disrupt next,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “These PoCs are an exciting representation of our members’ ability to redefine what is possible when fiber is the enabling infrastructure that allows any industry, business, or market to go further, faster.”

Three POCs won awards for being the most innovative, best community, and game-changer solutions presented at the show.

Most Innovative Award   
“Multi-Vendor Middle Mile Use Cases Enhancing PON Infrastructure via Infinera’s XR Optics Point-To-Multipoint, Automated by netFLEX®,” presented by Infinera and LightRiver. 

The two companies showcased a multi-vendor FTTX PON network implemented with a 400G DWDM Middle Mile point-to-multipoint solution from the router to the OLT, illustrating how service providers can mix and match various network elements while using advanced network intelligence to discover, monitor, and troubleshoot them as needed.

Best Community Impact Award 
“Get Ready for The Next Generation of Applications by Deploying a Disruptive Broadband Architecture” presented by Ciena.

This PoC explored how service providers can rethink their network architectural approach, leveraging disaggregation and virtualization, to push network access closer to the user to deliver and scale capacity where needed. Featuring contributions from Plume and Heights Telecom, Ciena demonstrated how it can provide end-to-end services from the network core to the edge while working with third-party solutions to deliver the best customer experience.

Game Changer Award 
“Superior Network Performance – Every Way You Slice It” presented by Nokia. 

Nokia’s PoC explored how operators can guarantee quality of service with complete granularity across the network from the IP core to a user appliance in the home. With this level of control, operators can use their fiber network for anything and generate new revenues with guaranteed performance for any service type.

Additional PoCs presented at Fiber Connect 2023 included: 

“Digital 3D Georeferenced Fiber Network Roll-Out Management and Documentation,” presented by DeepUp. 

“Enhancing the Customer Experience and Streamlining Operations with Cloud-Based Provisioning, Billing, and Orchestration,” presented by Ting Internet and Wavelo.

“Leveraging Fiber to Efficiently Capture Small Businesses in Your Markets,” presented by Calix.

“Enhancing Fiber Reach with Ultra-High Capacity mmW Radios at Network Edge,” presented by Ceragon. 

All PoC demonstrations were evaluated live at Fiber Connect 2023 by industry analysts examining the merits of the presentations.