B5G-OPEN · Project

10x More Capacity From Existing Fiber Optic Cables Using Multi-Band Light Technology

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Imagine your internet runs through a highway — right now, telecom companies only use one or two lanes of that highway. B5G-OPEN figured out how to open up several more lanes on the same fiber optic cable, potentially giving you 10 times more capacity without laying new cables. They also built smart AI-based traffic management so the network practically runs itself. Think of it as upgrading from a two-lane road to a ten-lane motorway using the cables already buried under your feet.

By the numbers

10x

Potential capacity increase over existing fiber using multi-band transmission

Consortium partners

Countries represented in the consortium

Industry partners in the consortium

SMEs participating

61%

Industry partner ratio in consortium

Total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Telecom operators and data center providers are running out of bandwidth on their existing fiber optic networks. Laying new fiber is extremely expensive and time-consuming. Meanwhile, demand for data capacity keeps growing with 5G services, cloud computing, and streaming — operators need a way to get dramatically more throughput from the cables they already have in the ground.

The solution

What was built

The project built and experimentally validated a complete multi-band optical transmission system that uses previously unused light spectrum bands (S, E, O) on standard fiber, along with new amplifiers, filterless optical subsystems, packet-optical white boxes with flexible transceivers, and an AI/ML-powered zero-touch network control plane. A total of 13 deliverables were produced, including a final experimental validation of the integrated solution.

Audience

Who needs this

Telecom network operators facing fiber capacity limitsHyperscale data center operators needing higher interconnect bandwidthOptical networking equipment manufacturers developing next-gen productsManaged service providers upgrading backbone infrastructureNational broadband agencies planning rural or underserved area coverage

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Telecommunications

enterprise

Target: Telecom network operators facing bandwidth saturation

If you are a telecom operator dealing with growing data traffic and running out of fiber capacity — this project developed multi-band optical transmission technology that uses S, E, and O light bands in addition to commercial C and C+L bands. This delivers a potential 10x capacity increase over existing fiber infrastructure, without laying new cables. The technology was experimentally validated by a consortium including 3 major telecom operators.

Cloud and Data Center Services

enterprise

Target: Hyperscale data center operators and cloud providers

If you are a data center operator struggling with interconnect bandwidth between facilities — this project built packet-optical white boxes with flexible transceivers that remove boundaries between network segments. This reduces electronic intermediate terminations and lowers latency, which matters for distributed cloud workloads. The AI/ML-driven zero-touch control plane cuts manual network configuration.

Network Equipment Manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Optical networking hardware vendors

If you are a network equipment vendor looking for next-generation product opportunities — this project prototyped new multi-band amplifiers, filterless subsystems, and add/drop multiplexers that don't exist commercially today. The consortium of 18 partners across 8 countries validated these components experimentally, creating a technology roadmap your R&D team can build on.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this multi-band technology on our existing network?

The project does not publish deployment cost figures. However, the core value proposition is reusing existing buried fiber rather than laying new cables — which typically costs tens of thousands of euros per kilometer. A cost-benefit analysis against your current capacity expansion plans would be the right next step.

Can this work at industrial scale on a real telecom network?

The consortium included 3 major telecom operators (including Telefonica as coordinator) and 3 equipment vendors, which signals real-world applicability. The project completed a final experimental validation of the full B5G-OPEN solution. However, this remains at the experimental validation stage, not yet commercial deployment.

What about patents and licensing — can we use this technology?

As a publicly funded EU Research and Innovation Action, project results follow Horizon 2020 IP rules where partners retain ownership of their foreground IP. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with specific consortium partners. Contact the coordinator (Telefonica Innovacion Digital) for IP discussions.

How does this fit with current 5G and future 6G rollouts?

The project explicitly targets 'beyond 5G' network requirements — higher capacity and lower latency for next-generation services. The multi-band approach addresses the physical layer capacity gap that current 5G deployments will face as traffic scales. This positions it as infrastructure-level preparation for 6G timelines.

What AI/ML capabilities were developed for network management?

The project built an AI/ML-powered control plane that enables zero-touch networking — meaning the network configures and optimizes itself automatically. This includes physical layer abstraction, new impairment modelling, and pervasive telemetry data collection. A full-featured node operating system for packet-optical white boxes was part of the deliverables.

How soon could we integrate this into our operations?

The project ran from November 2021 to October 2024 and completed experimental validation. Based on available project data, the technology is at the tested-in-lab stage. Commercial-grade equipment based on these results would likely require further product engineering by the vendor partners in the consortium.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavyweight telecom consortium with serious commercial intent. Of the 18 partners across 8 European countries, 11 are from industry (61%), including 3 major telecom operators with Telefonica leading as coordinator. The presence of 3 equipment vendors alongside 4 SMEs means the full value chain from research to manufacturing to deployment is represented. The 4 research centres and universities provide the scientific foundation, but this is clearly an industry-driven project — not an academic exercise. For a business looking to adopt this technology, the consortium composition suggests multiple potential supplier and integration partners already familiar with the solution.

TELEFONICA INNOVACION DIGITAL SLCoordinator · ES
TELEFONICA SAthirdparty · ES
INFINERA UNIPESSOAL LDAparticipant · PT
CENTRE TECNOLOGIC DE TELECOMUNICACIONS DE CATALUNYAparticipant · ES
CORIANT R&D GMBHparticipant · DE
PURELIFI LIMITEDparticipant · UK
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHEthirdparty · IT
UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYAparticipant · ES
BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS PLCparticipant · UK
NOKIA NETWORKS FRANCEparticipant · FR
ADTRAN NETWORKS SEparticipant · DE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVENparticipant · NL
TELECOM ITALIA SPA O TIM SPAparticipant · IT
CONSORZIO NAZIONALE INTERUNIVERSITARIO PER LE TELECOMUNICAZIONIparticipant · IT
UNIVERSIDAD CARLOS III DE MADRIDthirdparty · ES

How to reach the team

Telefonica Innovacion Digital SL (Spain) — contact via SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the project coordinator

Order a report on this consortium See TELEFONICA INNOVACION DIGITAL SL profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how multi-band optical technology could solve your network capacity challenges? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the B5G-OPEN team and provide a tailored briefing for your use case.

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