The Metro of the Portuguese capital will become the stage for the largest fibre optic test center in the world, an investment of 2.3 million euros that positions Portugal at the center of the international race for a new generation of data transmission networks.

The choice of the Yellow Line as a space for the installation of this test bench is not only symbolic. It is also strategic: the 26 kilometers of the ring allow the creation of unique test conditions, subject to vibrations, temperature variations and other demands typical of a real environment. It is here that the latest generation multicore fibres will be tested, capable of multiplying the communication capacity far beyond what we know today.

The numbers are impressive: a cable with 74 optical fibres, adding up to 326 transmission channels, which translates into 728 kilometers of interconnected fibre, equivalent to 28 complete turns along the metro ring. Never in any part of the world has such an infrastructure been assembled, dedicated exclusively to the development and validation of a technology called to be the new global standard.

The impact goes far beyond the academic. The telecommunications industry depends on a new generation of fibre to respond to the explosion of digital traffic. From streaming to the metaverse, from the cloud to artificial intelligence, everything requires higher speeds and lower latencies. Europe needs its own solutions so as not to depend exclusively on standards defined in the United States or Japan. If the international certification recognizes the technology tested in Lisbon, it will be a strategic leap for the entire European industry, from cable manufacturers and transmitters to digital giants that require robust infrastructures.

Lisbon thus becomes a true living laboratory. After the fibres will come the associated equipment: receivers, amplifiers, and transmitters. Companies that want to test their solutions in a real environment will come. And so will telecommunications operators and digital giants, attracted by the possibility of validating here the technologies that will sustain the internet of the future.

This project is more than a technological investment. It is a clear statement that Portugal can compete at the highest level in setting global standards, opening doors to new partnerships and attracting cutting-edge companies. In the heart of Lisbon, under the rails where thousands of passengers pass every day, the future of global connectivity is being born.

Until now, Lisbon was seen as a vibrant city for culture, tourism and quality of life; from this project, it will also be recognized as the European epicenter of innovation in fibre optics. A feat that demonstrates that Portugal has the talent, ambition and ability to be among the global leaders in digital transformation.

Author

Paulo Lopes is a multi-talent Portuguese citizen who made his Master of Economics in Switzerland and studied law at Lusófona in Lisbon - CEO of Casaiberia in Lisbon and Algarve.

Paulo Lopes