Proximus : Twice the speed and capacity of the current VDSL broadband network? A leap forward made possible by a world first launched by Proximus and Nokia in Andenne

It doesn't happen every day for Belgium to host a technological world first. And yet, that is what has just happened in Andenne. It was in this Walloon city that Proximus and Nokia carried out the unprecedented installation of a new piece of equipment that will seriously boost all copper networks in the world in the years to come. Proximus and Nokia engineers, who have been working together on technological innovation projects for more than 20 years, have joined forces to develop equipment that boosts both the speed and capacity of the ROPs (Remote Optical Platforms), i.e. the street cabinets in which the copper cables coming from consumers' homes are connected to the Proximus network via fiber.

In concrete terms, with a moderate investment, the new Nokia equipment makes it possible to double the maximum potential number of customers connected to a street cabinet, from 192 to 384 users per ROP. It also paves the way for a significant increase in the speed of VDSL connectivity, enabling ultra-fast broadband to be delivered at twice the speed. This will allow an enhanced experience for more customers, even outside major cities. Moreover, these improvements can be achieved without the slightest inconvenience to the neighborhood: miniaturization of electronics makes it possible to insert this high-performance equipment into existing street cabinets without the need to install a new cabinet, thus making it possible to accommodate more customers without any street works.

This new technology, which is based on the Quillion chip developed by Nokia, has another major advantage. While enabling higher speed and capacity, the Quillion chip also reduces power consumption. This is particularly important for Proximus, one of whose key priorities is the reduction of its ecological footprint.

Andenne is therefore the very first location in the world to benefit from this technological innovation, also referred to as 'ultra-dense vectorization'. The engineers at Proximus and Nokia do not intend to leave it at that. The goal is to insert the same equipment in hundreds of street cabinets in the coming months and years. This is obviously good news for Proximus customers, but also for the customers of all alternative operators who use the Proximus network. Their customers will also benefit from the improved VDSL ultravectoring connectivity.