Nokia and Orange trial real-time optical network tomography

Nokia and Orange have announced the successful completion of the first real-world trial of network tomography applied to optical infrastructures. Conducted on Orange France's transport network, the experiment utilizes algorithms from Nokia Bell Labs to provide quasi-real-time visibility into the health of fiber links and wavelengths.

Acting much like a medical scanner for optical networks, this technology analyzes thousands of data points from existing equipment to identify issues such as fiber degradation, amplifier malfunctions, and configuration errors without requiring the installation of additional intrusive probes. This allows operators to detect and resolve problems before they impact service quality.

Beyond fault detection, the solution enables operators to optimize existing network capacity, improve spectral efficiency, and enhance service resilience. Because the technology works with already deployed equipment, it reduces the need for field interventions and minimizes the environmental footprint of network management.