Openreach has launched 800G optical services across the UK for the first time, deploying Ciena's Waveserver platform powered by WaveLogic 6 coherent technology rated at 1.6Tb/s per wavelength.

The upgrade sits within the operator's Optical Spectrum Extended Access (OSEA) portfolio and targets wholesale customers moving large volumes of data between data centres, cable landing stations and core network sites.

What does the deployment deliver?

Openreach will carry 400G and 800G customer traffic over dedicated 1.6Tb/s wavelengths. Each 2RU Waveserver chassis supports up to 32 individual 400G services, giving the wholesale arm of BT significant density in a compact footprint.

The rollout marks the first time Openreach has offered 800G services on a national basis. The 1.6Tb/s wavelength infrastructure also leaves headroom for faster services in future, without requiring another full platform refresh.

Who is it for?

The commercial focus is squarely on high-capacity wholesale buyers. Openreach expects customers to use the new capacity for:

• Links between data centres
• Private cloud networks
• Backhaul from international subsea cables landing in the UK

That last use case ties the investment to the UK's role as a landing point for transatlantic and other international submarine systems, where traffic aggregation onto the national network can bottleneck if optical capacity lags.

Openreach Director of Products Nicolas Lemaitre said: "Demand for fast, reliable connectivity is growing rapidly. This investment shows how Openreach is strengthening its network to support wholesale customers across the UK."

Lemaitre added: "By using Ciena's Waveserver and WL6 technology, we're preparing our services for the next wave of digital growth, including increasing demand from AI applications and Critical National Infrastructure."

How much is marketing, how much is deployment?

The core facts are concrete: 800G services are live as a national offer, running on named Ciena hardware, with defined capacity figures per wavelength and per chassis. The AI and Critical National Infrastructure framing, by contrast, is demand-side rationale rather than a contracted commitment — no customer names or volumes accompany the announcement.

Ciena, for its part, continues to build its European carrier footprint. Recent wins include an upgrade to a 17,000km subsea cable linking Africa and Europe and an infrastructure expansion with e& UAE, positioning WaveLogic 6 as its standard offering for high-capacity terrestrial and submarine routes.

For Openreach, the optical build runs alongside its continuing copper-to-fibre transition, including the phased shutdown of the UK's legacy PSTN telephone network — a programme that increases reliance on high-capacity core transport as voice and broadband traffic consolidate onto IP infrastructure.

The vendor deal gives Openreach a migration path beyond 800G: the 1.6Tb/s WaveLogic 6 platform supports future service upgrades as wholesale demand for data centre interconnect and subsea backhaul grows.