Tokyo, Japan - SoftBank Corporation has completed the rollout of its all-optical network in the country's core transmission system using optical transmission equipment from Fujitsu.
All-optical technology and innovations such as water-cooled transponders mark a milestone for greener telecommunications networks.
Why It Matters
This network deployment is the first global application of water-cooled transponder technology in an all-optical network environment.
SoftBank's use of this technology marks a significant step toward reducing the environmental impact of telecommunications, with a reported 90% reduction in power consumption compared to traditional network solutions.
The Key Points
- In partnership with Fujitsu, SoftBank has deployed an all-optical network throughout its core transmission network. This eliminates the need for electrical-optical conversion, reducing power consumption by up to 90%.
- The network uses Fujitsu's 1FINITY T900 system, which implements water-cooled transponder technology - an industry first. This doubles cooling efficiency, increasing capacity while reducing power consumption by 50%.
- SoftBank uses a disaggregated C+L ROADM architecture for flexible system upgrades and scaling. The network can now carry 48.8 Tbps per fiber pair, approximately 2X the previous capacity.
What They Say:
"By deploying these optical transmission systems, SoftBank aims to meet the growing demand for data communications while achieving carbon neutrality,"
said SoftBank.
"The collaboration between SoftBank and Fujitsu is aimed at advancing the technological capabilities of the telecommunications sector,"
said Fujitsu.
What Comes Next?
The deployment positions SoftBank as an innovator in sustainable networks as the industry moves toward next-generation 5G and 6G systems.
It contributes to the global push to curb emissions from ICT infrastructure, which account for 2-4% of carbon emissions.
Further technological advances and support from green policies will be vital to achieving net-zero commitments in the telecommunications sector in the coming decades.
