Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Telstra, Ciena, Nokia, SpaceX, Grain Management, satellite spectrum, among others.
Telstra and Ciena Achieve 1.6 Tb/s Transmission Across 1,100 km
Telstra and Ciena have achieved 1.6 Tb/s transmission over approximately 1,100 km across Australia’s Melbourne-Sydney corridor using a single wavelength, marking a major advance in long-distance optical networking. Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme technology delivered a 100 percent increase in per-channel capacity and about a 14 percent increase in total system capacity. Telstra transmitted four 400GbE client services over one wavelength without regeneration on its live production network. The companies also used L-band spectrum alongside traditional C-band infrastructure, potentially doubling usable spectrum and significantly increasing fiber capacity. The achievement is designed to support rising demand from AI, cloud and data-intensive applications while improving the scalability of existing fiber networks.
Nokia Opens Mobile Core Early Access Program
Nokia has expanded its Mobile Core Early Access program, giving telecom operators and enterprises access to a live, hosted environment for evaluating emerging mobile core capabilities. Initially launched in June with 30 companies, the program is now open to the wider industry. Participants can explore 5G Core, automation, analytics, network exposure and cloud-native network functions in an end-to-end environment involving network functions, radios and devices. Nokia said the program is designed to help customers evaluate technologies and deployment requirements before making investment decisions, reducing testing complexity and shortening innovation cycles. The initiative reflects operators’ growing need to assess cloud-native, automated and AI-ready core capabilities as mobile networks become increasingly programmable and software-driven.
SpaceX Acquires Nationwide 800 MHz Spectrum Portfolio to Expand Starlink Direct-to-Device Network SpaceX has agreed to acquire 100 percent of Grain Management’s nationwide US 800 MHz-band spectrum portfolio, expanding the wireless frequencies available for Starlink Mobile’s direct-to-device network. Grain acquired the spectrum from T-Mobile in August 2026 through a transaction involving cash and 600 MHz spectrum assets. The new agreement will support satellite-to-smartphone connectivity and potentially integrated terrestrial wireless services. Low-band frequencies offer favorable propagation characteristics for wide-area coverage and signal penetration. The acquisition remains subject to approval from the Federal Communications Commission and customary closing conditions. Neither company disclosed the purchase price or the precise amount of spectrum in megahertz.
