FiberCop tests 400-Gigabit-per-second fibre access in Italy for the first time

In Turin, FiberCop and the Politecnico di Torino carried out a first-of-its-kind trial: for the first time, coherent transmission was tested on a point-to-multipoint optical network operating over a single fibre, while maintaining full coexistence with the technologies currently used for residential customers (GPON and XGS-PON).

This technology enabled a transmission speed of up to 400 Gbps, around eight times higher than those achievable with the most advanced PON solutions currently available on the market. This result paves the way for ultra-high-capacity connectivity services for business customers, leveraging FiberCop’s optical network.

Details of the trial are available in the article published in the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking. The test was carried out using experimental devices developed as part of the collaboration between FiberCop and the Politecnico di Torino, under the framework of activities supported by the EU ALLEGRO project (Agile Ultra Low Energy Secure Networks, funded under the Horizon Europe programme), in which FiberCop has been participating since May 2025.

The project, which involves 24 partners including industrial companies, research centres and universities, aims to develop an innovative architecture for next-generation optical networks, characterised by high transmission capacity, energy efficiency and advanced security.

Drawing on its expertise in the operational management of its fibre optic infrastructure and its extensive nationwide presence, FiberCop will contribute to the testing of scalable and programmable solutions capable of supporting increasingly secure transmissions.