Caribbean fiber exchange, China 50G-PON target, and Zhone-Tellabs deal lead telecom updates

A regional internet exchange now links five Eastern Caribbean islands through local facilities, submarine fiber, and an AMS-IX peering platform, helping traffic stay closer to users. China’s telecom ministry aims to reach one million 50G-PON access ports by 2030, with standardized terminals expected more widely from 2027. Zhone has acquired Tellabs to add fiber LAN and enterprise optical products to its broadband access portfolio.

The Eastern Caribbean exchange links Saint Eustatius, Saba, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Kitts. It combines local sites, submarine cables and AMS-IX peering, while Packet Clearing House added infrastructure on Saint Eustatius. An international content provider has joined, but capacity, throughput and investment remain undisclosed.

China’s plan targets one million 50G-PON access ports by 2030. The ITU-T G.9804 standard supports 50 Gbps downstream and at least 12.5 Gbps upstream. Standardized terminals are expected more widely from 2027, though cost and power use remain hurdles. It is a national goal, not an installed count or single-operator order. Zhone’s Tellabs purchase adds fiber LAN and enterprise optical products to its NetComm lineup.