Nokia, Viettel deploy 600G wavelengths in Vietnam to boost capacity

Nokia announced Thursday the completion of Vietnam’s first Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDN) network with local operator Viettel, a move that will “dramatically” increase capacity for the operator.

The network uses Nokia’s innovative PSE-V super-coherent optical engines (PSE-Vs), transmitting a 600 gigabyte-per-second channel in the C-band to connect Viettel’s main core sites.

This new Data Center Interconnect solution will enable Viettel to meet future requirements for low-latency, high-capacity, robust network for 5G, Cloud, and growing consumer demand for online video and internet usage, Nokia said.

The project enables Viettel to scale up its total network capacity to 25.2 terabytes per second (1 terabyte = 1,000 gigabytes). In addition, the existing C-band system can be seamlessly upgraded to C+L band by adding L-band components, which will double the network capacity. C-band is a conventional band while L band is a long one adjacent to C-band.

Ruben Moron Flores, head of market unit Vietnam at Nokia, said: “This project is the first in Asia-Pacific to use our PSE-Vs chipset and implemented during the height of the Covid pandemic. Its success showcases our strong partnership and unwavering commitment to maintaining leadership by delivering the latest optics technologies and solutions to Viettel.”

Nguyen Khac Tinh, optics principle architect of Viettel, said: “By using Nokia’s industry leading coherent transport solutions, we’ll be able to optimize our cost for both capital expenditure and operating expenditure, and stay secured for future expansion.”

He noted, “This is truly a network built not just for today, but for tomorrow as well. We wish to work with Nokia to evolve our network even further. Our network is now ready for 800 gigabytes and we plan to reach 1 terabyte per second.”

Military-run Viettel is Vietnam’s largest telecom service provider and one of the world’s top 20 telecom companies.