• Spark first in New Zealand to offer 200 Gb/s (Gigabits-per-second) on a single wavelength thanks to Nokia's technology

• Higher capacity, lower costs mean Spark can meet rising customer bandwidth demand on existing network without huge fiber optic investments

6 December, 2016

Espoo, Finland - Spark, New Zealand's leading communications service provider, has deployed the country's first 200G per wavelength production fiber link using Nokia's PSS1830 Optical Transport Network (OTN). The Nokia optical solution effectively doubles capacity while reducing cost per bit on the Spark fiber network. As a result, Spark is able to deliver more value and a better experience to its enterprise, retail mobile and broadband customers without the need for major investment in fiber optic cables and other CAPEX/OPEX-related costs.

The deployment of 200G per wavelength is a first for the New Zealand telecommunications industry, and was achieved with the Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch. The powerful yet flexible hardware and software allow customers to optimize their networks by balancing capacity and distance for individual wavelengths. Nokia's 200G channel can also co-exist with Spark's 10G and 100G channels, protecting the original network investment.

Spark's new 200Gbps network link connects its core network with the global gateway, and enables the service provider stay ahead of the data demand curve for both residential and enterprise customers. It will help meet continuing strong business and consumer demand for data bandwidth, utilizing existing systems to efficiently boost capacity for current usage and future growth.

200G provides a compelling business case for any operator looking to lower their total cost of ownership while still deploying extra speed and capacity in their existing 1830 PSS networks.

Colin Brown, General Manager of Networks at Spark, said:

"Today's digital revolution is driving massive growth in data traffic, with businesses and consumers needing to instantly access and share information anytime, anywhere, doing so quickly, efficiently and securely. Nokia has helped Spark NZ reach a new milestone with our world-class Optical Transport Network, achieving our vision of a data-driven future for New Zealand and underpinning an integrated network including fiber, 3G, 4G, 4.5G, wireless broadband and Wi-Fi."

Ray Owen, head of Oceania at Nokia, said:

"Like many operators, Spark has faced relentless growth in bandwidth demand, largely driven by an increase in video streaming by business and consumer users. By taking a flexible approach to this challenge with New Zealand's first 200Gbps fiber link, together with Nokia, Spark is well placed to meet continued demand growth while meeting existing user expectations."

Did you know?

• Nokia is the market leader in 200G port shipments (Dell'Oro).

• Deployments of our 200G solution are growing rapidly as customers see the benefits of the long haul capabilities of 200G 8QAM.

• We have shipped our 200G solution to more than 88 customers.