Network Infrastructure in Transition: How Fibre Optics Meets Rising Demands

With the rapid growth of data-intensive applications, the demands on high-performance network infrastructures are also increasing. From latency-critical high-end applications to new types of fibre optics and the growing demands of data centre operators, technological development is advancing rapidly. Wolfram Rinner, Managing Director of GasLINE, provides insights into current trends, innovation potential and the long-term outlook for modern fibre-optic networks. He will be speaking at fibre days 26 at the eco Datacenter Plaza in the panel discussion "Visions for the Future 2030 - Networks as the Backbone of Digitalisation."

Fibre optic networks are considered a long-term infrastructure investment. What requirements must they meet to remain viable in ten or twenty years' time?

Fibre-optic Internet networks must above all be scalable, highly available and secure. Future-proof Internet networks are characterised by redundant routing, direct connections to central digital hubs and a design that significantly exceeds today's bandwidth requirements. Sustainable expansion is also crucial, supporting technological developments - such as new transmission methods or increasing requirements from cloud, AI and edge applications - in the long term. This is also in line with our commitment to operating a high-performance, independent and ISO-certified fibre optic infrastructure as the foundation of the digital society.

For high-end applications requiring low latency over long distances, so-called "hollow core fibre" is being used more and more frequently. What are the applications and advantages of this fibre type?

Hollow core fibres enable extremely low latencies, as the light propagates predominantly in an air-filled core. They are particularly useful where every millisecond counts: in financial market applications, for precise time and clock distribution, in high-performance computing, and in connecting data centres over longer distances. Their greatest advantage is the combination of significantly reduced signal propagation time and high stability - an important building block for the next generation of time-critical digital applications.

As data centres become increasingly important as digital hubs, the requirements for fibre routes are also changing. What developments are you currently observing in your exchanges with data centre operators, and what expectations are being placed on infrastructure operators?

Today's data centres primarily require highly redundant, diversely routed, latency-optimised and scalable fibre optic connections. Operators expect full transparency over route paths, short provisioning times, clear SLAs and the ability to flexibly expand capacity. At the same time, demand for dark fibre solutions is increasing, as they offer maximum control and security.

Critical infrastructures are increasingly in the public spotlight. What expectations do you perceive being placed on operators and infrastructure providers?

Today, providers are measured more than ever by their resilience, transparency and security architecture. At the same time, current political discussions and industry statements show that regulation is becoming significantly more complex - for example, through requirements such as the German KRITIS Umbrella Act and its alignment with NIS2. Operators of critical Internet networks are expected to protect sensitive data and create redundancies, but at the same time provide sufficient information for public authorities and approval processes - an area of tension that has not yet been fully resolved, as recent assessments from the eco environment, among others, show.

In your view, what role will networks play in the coming years as the backbone of digitalisation?

High-performance networks form the central foundation of almost all digital developments - from AI-powered applications and cloud computing to Industry 4.0 and autonomous mobility and energy systems. Fibre optics will become an indispensable basic technology, enabling unlimited scalability, low latency and maximum security. Network operators that invest today in robust structures, redundancy and innovative technologies are laying the groundwork for a digital economy that will remain stable, sovereign and competitive in the future.