METRO-HAUL · Project

Smart Optical Metro Networks That Make 5G Backhaul Cheaper and Faster

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Imagine 5G as a highway for data — but the roads connecting cell towers to the internet backbone are still narrow country lanes. METRO-HAUL redesigned those middle roads using smart optical fiber technology that can handle massive traffic surges, store data closer to users, and process it on the spot — all while keeping costs down. Think of it as upgrading the plumbing between your local water tower and the main reservoir so everything flows faster and cheaper. They even built working demos for things like city-wide video security running over this infrastructure.

By the numbers

consortium partners involved

countries represented in consortium

industry partners (64% of consortium)

SMEs in the consortium

working technology demonstrations completed

total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Telecom operators face a costly bottleneck: 5G promises massive speed and low latency at the edge, but the metro optical networks connecting cell towers to the internet backbone were not designed for this traffic. Upgrading these middle-mile networks with traditional approaches is prohibitively expensive, especially when different 5G services (video, IoT, autonomous vehicles) each demand different performance levels. Operators need infrastructure that is both high-performance and affordable to deploy at scale.

The solution

What was built

The project built prototype metro optical nodes with integrated edge compute and storage, connected by adaptive optical transmission, and managed by an SDN-based automated control plane. They delivered 3 working demonstrations: a Video Security for Smart Cities system, a crowdsourced video tracking platform, and a full control plane demo — all running on real hardware across the project test-bed, documented across 20 deliverables.

Audience

Who needs this

Telecom operators planning 5G metro network upgradesSmart city solution providers needing low-latency edge infrastructureVideo surveillance and public safety technology companiesContent delivery network operators facing metro bandwidth bottlenecksNetwork equipment manufacturers building next-generation optical hardware

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Telecommunications

enterprise

Target: Telecom operators and mobile network providers deploying 5G

If you are a telecom operator struggling with the cost of upgrading metro networks for 5G traffic — this project developed cost-effective optical metro node designs with built-in compute and storage, demonstrated across a test-bed with 22 consortium partners. The SDN-based control plane automates network management and adapts to different 5G service demands in real time, cutting manual configuration overhead.

Smart City Solutions

any

Target: City governments and smart city technology integrators

If you are a city authority or systems integrator deploying video surveillance and public safety networks — this project demonstrated a working Video Security for Smart Cities application (Demo 1) running on its metro optical infrastructure. The low-latency edge compute means video feeds get processed locally instead of traveling to distant data centers, enabling faster response times for security operations.

Media & Content Delivery

mid-size

Target: Video streaming and content delivery network providers

If you are a CDN or streaming company dealing with bandwidth bottlenecks during peak traffic — this project built adaptive optical transmission networks with edge storage that bring content closer to end users. Their crowdsourced video tracking demo (Demo 2) proved the infrastructure can handle distributed, high-bandwidth video workloads across metro networks.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt this technology?

The project focused on cost-efficient designs using hardware disaggregation and virtualization to hit challenging cost targets. Specific pricing is not published in project data, but the architecture is explicitly designed to reduce metro network upgrade costs compared to conventional approaches. Contact the consortium for commercial licensing terms.

Can this scale to a full commercial metro network?

The project built and demonstrated proof-of-concept prototypes interconnecting metro node hardware with real transmission technologies and control plane software. These were validated across a multi-partner test-bed but remain at demonstration scale. Scaling to full commercial deployment would require further engineering and investment from a telecom operator partner.

Who owns the IP and how can I license it?

The project was coordinated by British Telecommunications PLC with 22 partners across 7 countries. IP is distributed among consortium members under the Horizon 2020 grant agreement. Interested companies should approach BT or specific technology partners for licensing discussions on individual components.

How does this fit with existing telecom infrastructure?

METRO-HAUL was designed specifically to connect heterogeneous 5G access networks to core networks. The SDN-based control plane interfaces with client applications and can orchestrate across transmission, switching, networking, compute, and storage elements. This means it's built to integrate with — not replace — existing infrastructure.

What 5G services has this actually been tested with?

The project completed 3 dedicated demos: Video Security for Smart Cities (Demo 1), crowdsourced video tracking (Demo 2), and a control plane demonstration (Demo 3). These covered real 5G vertical services running across the METRO-HAUL test-bed with actual metro node prototypes.

Is this compliant with telecom standards?

The project actively participated in relevant standardization bodies to promote its solutions. Based on available project data, specific standards contributions are documented in the 20 project deliverables. This standards engagement reduces adoption risk for operators.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavyweight consortium led by British Telecommunications PLC — one of Europe's largest telecom operators — with 22 partners across 7 countries. The 64% industry ratio (14 out of 22 partners) is unusually high for a research project, signaling strong commercial intent from the start. With 6 SMEs alongside major industry players, the project bridges cutting-edge research from 6 universities and 2 research organizations with real-world operational requirements. For a business looking to adopt this technology, BT's coordination role means there's a clear commercial pathway through an operator that actually runs metro networks at scale.

BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS PLCCoordinator · UK
INFINERA UNIPESSOAL LDAparticipant · PT
ZEETTA NETWORKS LIMITEDparticipant · UK
CENTRE TECNOLOGIC DE TELECOMUNICACIONS DE CATALUNYAparticipant · ES
NAUDIT HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING AND NETWORKING SLparticipant · ES
TELEFONICA INVESTIGACION Y DESARROLLO SAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYAparticipant · ES
ERICSSON TELECOMUNICAZIONI SPAparticipant · IT
POLITECNICO DI MILANOparticipant · IT
NOKIA NETWORKS FRANCEparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOLparticipant · UK
ADTRAN NETWORKS SEparticipant · DE
OLD DOG CONSULTING LIMITEDparticipant · UK
NOKIA SOLUTIONS AND NETWORKS ITALIA SPAparticipant · IT
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

British Telecommunications PLC (UK) — reach out to their network innovation or 5G research division

Order a report on this consortium See BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS PLC profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the METRO-HAUL team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right technical contact for your specific use case.

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