Ooredoo Qatar has announced it will be the first operator in the world to deploy 50Gbps-capable PON-based fibre network access (‘50GPON’) for consumers. 50GPON – adopted by the ITU standardisation body as the evolution standard after 10GPON – enables connectivity of up to 50Gbps on a single connection, and will eventually be offered to users across Qatar via Ooredoo’s fibre network to enable high-bandwidth latency-sensitive applications such as 8k-interactive video applications, online collaboration and coordination solutions, 3D cloud design, high-graphic/high-quality AI applications and more. Ooredoo notes that 50GPON can meet the bandwidth requirements of both consumers and enterprises, and initial deployment will be for B2B customers and ‘areas that require high speed connectivity’, with wider residential rollout ‘to follow’.
Ooredoo Qatar CEO Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani said: ‘We’re proud to be the first operator globally capable of deploying such powerful technology, which aligns perfectly with our overarching aim of upgrading our customers’ world … We look forward to further enhancing our offering as technology develops ever further in the years to come.’
Ooredoo Qatar also disclosed that it is deploying Ericsson’s Smart Connected Site solution in its network to enable hybrid energy management including the use of li-ion batteries alongside traditional power grid and diesel generators, and controlling energy consumption by optimising the network’s use of energy sources, reducing the reliance on diesel and thus reducing carbon emissions. The Smart Connected Site solution also provides real-time, remote monitoring of all aspects of the site such as collecting, aggregating, and communicating radio, power and enclosure, and site material operating data and status. A press release noted that trials of hybrid energy management involving diesel generators/li-ion batteries have shown results of up to 66% daily diesel generator runtime reduction with up to 55% reduction in fuel consumption, in turn resulting in a reduction of approximately three tonnes per month per site of carbon dioxide emissions and a 50% reduction in number of site visits.