Nortel Networks will soon launch new technology that allows telecom companies to quadruple the capacity of their networks. This will help with the data intensive requirements that Internet video, high-definition programming and mobile video phones demand.

Nortel is North America’s largest maker of telephone equipment. It will launch optical technology that delivers speeds of 40 gigabits per second (Gbps). This is about four times as fast as today’s high-end networking speeds. Carriers that utilize Nortel’s new technology will be able to quadruple their network speed right away. The new system will also provide the foundation to increase capacity tenfold to 100 Gbps, as required by growth in “bandwidth sapping” applications.

Denmark’s TDC and Neos Networks in the United Kingdom have already purchased the new technology. Trials with other carriers around the world are being conducted