altafiber has announced a major multi-gigabit network expansion across its Midwest territories and Hawaii. It will deploy a suite of 25G PON, IP routing, and optical transport solutions. The upgrade is designed to enhance scalability and operational efficiency for the operator as it scales to meet the bandwidth demands of both residential and business customers.
The expansion is particularly significant for Hawaiian Telcom, an altafiber subsidiary, which is working toward a landmark goal: making Hawaii the first state in the US to be 100% fibre-enabled. This ambitious $1.7bn initiative is currently on track for completion by the end of 2026.
Scaling with 25G PON and Quillion silicon
At the heart of the rollout is the Nokia Lightspan 25G PON platform. For an operator such as altafiber, the primary benefit of this technology is coexistence. The platform allows 10G, 25G, and eventually 50G PON services to run over the same existing fibre infrastructure.
Powered by Nokia’s Quillion chipset, the modular architecture enables altafiber to maximise previous fibre investments while gaining the flexibility to introduce symmetrical multi-gigabit tiers. By avoiding a "rip-and-replace" cycle, the operator reduces capital expenditure while staying ahead of the performance curve required for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven applications and high-density computing.
Strengthening the intelligent backbone
To support the massive influx of data from the access network, altafiber is upgrading its core routing and transport layers using the Nokia 7750 Service Router (SR). These routers serve as an intelligent backbone, ensuring resilient transport for multi-gigabit traffic while providing the telemetry required for network automation.
Further strengthening the foundation, altafiber is deploying the Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) and 1830 Photonic Service Interconnect (PSI). These optical solutions simplify network operations and architectures by providing high-density coherent transport. The security of the deployment is further enhanced by Nokia Deepfield, which provides real-time analytics and DDoS protection directly within the network fabric, ensuring performance remains stable even under high-demand or threat conditions.
"We are pleased to partner with Nokia as we continue to expand our cutting-edge multi-gig PON fibre network," says Ron Beerman, Chief Network Officer at altafiber. "This partnership ensures we can deliver unparalleled speed and reliability to support the growing needs of our customers."
Strategic milestones for 2026
The network overhaul comes as altafiber continues its geographic push into Northeast Ohio and other Midwest markets, where it has already invested over $2 billion in its fibre footprint.
In Hawaii, the project focuses on reaching the remaining 40% of households and businesses that do not yet have access to a 100% fibre connection. By reaching underserved rural communities and island-wide locations by late 2026, the operator aims to establish a new benchmark for state-wide digital equity and infrastructure resilience.
