Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Fidium Fiber, Verizon, Ericsson, Vodafone, Outdoor 6G Field Call, and others.
Fidium Expands New Hampshire FTTH Network to 7,400 Locations in Somersworth
Fidium Fiber has completed a fiber broadband expansion in Somersworth, New Hampshire, making symmetrical multi-gigabit connectivity available to more than 7,400 homes and businesses. Announced on October 12, the deployment offers broadband speeds ranging from 300 Mbps to 2 Gbps, with matching upload and download capabilities. The expansion was privately financed and extends the company’s existing New Hampshire fiber infrastructure. Fidium reports operating approximately 19,000 miles of fiber across the state, with its network reaching more than 450,000 homes and businesses. The Somersworth deployment represents newly available service infrastructure rather than a proposed future construction program. The company has not disclosed the project’s individual investment value or additional fiber-route length.
Verizon and Ericsson Complete Outdoor 6G Field Call Using 400 MHz Carrier at 7 GHz
Verizon and Ericsson have completed what they describe as the world’s first outdoor pre-standard 6G field call using the 7 GHz frequency band. Announced on October 15, the trial took place at a Verizon commercial network site in Concord, California. Ericsson installed its 6G proof-of-concept equipment, including a 400 MHz carrier, to evaluate radio performance under realistic conditions. Testing covers outdoor coverage, signal penetration into buildings, throughput, latency and network stability. Engineers are examining performance across line-of-sight and obstructed radio paths, including different wall and window materials. The companies have not disclosed peak data speeds or commercial deployment dates. The demonstration does not constitute a commercial 6G network launch.
Vodafone Launches 400G European Optical Network Service with 15-Day Activation Target
Vodafone Group has introduced Express Capacity, a high-bandwidth optical connectivity service offering 100 Gbps and 400 Gbps transmission across selected European routes. The service targets activation within 15 days, subject to standard provisioning and testing requirements. Initial connectivity covers major digital infrastructure hubs in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Marseille and Milan. The architecture uses pre-provisioned optical capacity and automated configuration to reduce network delivery times. Vodafone says a 400G connection can transport approximately 180 terabytes of data per hour. The network also connects international submarine cable systems, including Apollo, Amitié, Europe India Gateway and SEA-ME-WE 5. Orders are being accepted, with service activation scheduled from November 2026.