Nokia announced that BT will test its FP5 network processing silicon, including its 800G interfaces. The collaboration is part of the companies’ long-term strategic relationship to ensure the UK’s largest network has the capacity, flexibility and reduced power consumption, to deliver the best possible customer experience for the future.

FP5 is the new heart of Nokia’s IP service routing platforms, allowing service providers to address today’s unrelenting requirements to efficiently scale network capacity, enable new higher speed IP services, and provide unmatched protection against escalating network security threats. Building upon four generations of industry-leading network processors, Nokia has raised the bar by adding support for high density 800G routing interfaces, new embedded line rate, flow-based encryption capabilities, and a 75% reduction in power consumption, which supports BT’s sustainability objectives to run the most power efficient network in the UK.

BT operates the largest IP network in the UK with peak rates above 25Tbps, powered by Nokia’s 77xx family of routers. With this trial, BT is the first in the UK to test the 800G interfaces on IP routers, helping to ensure the most cost-efficient scale and capacity where its future UK customer traffic demands.

Neil McRae, Managing Director and Chief Architect at BT, said: “With FP5, Nokia continues to innovate to ensure IP networks have the scale, flexibility and features to help us manage increasing demand from our residential, mobile and business customers. We’re eager to trial its capabilities as we grow our network capacity – part of our Best Network strategy for meeting our customers’ future needs.”

Rafa de Fermin, VP Network Infrastructure at Nokia, said: “This FP5 trial is an extension of the strong partnership and collaboration between BT and Nokia to build the multiservice network that runs the UK now and in the future. Key to this trial will be FP5’s capability to support high-density standards based QSFP-DD 800 ports, which are immediately available with the FP5 and a real differentiator for Nokia.”