Colt, Relativity Networks, and NPS complete hollow-core fiber proof of concept in London

Colt Technology Services has partnered with Relativity Networks and Network Planning Solutions (NPS) to test a hollow-core fiber (HCF) deployment in London.

The companies completed a ChronoCore HCF proof of concept connecting two Colt network locations in central London. Relativity Networks supplied the fiber, while NPS supported its installation and validation.

The HCF link is now operating within Colt's infrastructure. Colt said the deployment is a step toward making ChronoCore available to hyperscaler, neoscaler, and enterprise customers with demanding AI, cloud, and data-intensive workloads.

How hollow-core fiber works

Hollow-core fiber has an air-filled central channel surrounded by a ring of glass tubes. This structure resembles a honeycomb and allows light to travel faster than through traditional fiber. It is designed to support higher capacity while minimizing chromatic dispersion.

Relativity Networks estimates that ChronoCore HCF can reduce latency by around 30 percent. Lower latency could allow applications to respond more quickly and give organizations greater flexibility when locating data centers and other digital infrastructure. These characteristics are particularly relevant to AI workloads.

HCF is not expected to replace conventional single-mode fiber. Instead, it is likely to be used on performance-critical routes, including connections between hyperscaler and neoscaler AI infrastructure locations.

Potential applications include links between data centers, AI training and inference clusters, cloud regions, financial trading locations, and major network hubs. The technology may also support enterprise applications requiring extremely low latency.

"As AI and increasingly data-intensive applications reshape the digital economy, we're continuously exploring new technologies and partnerships that can help them stay ahead. This proof of concept is an exciting example of how we can deliver the performance, flexibility and efficiency they'll need to achieve their future ambitions," said Joe Scattareggia, EVP, infrastructure and connectivity sales, Colt.

Danny Preston, founder and CEO of NPS, said the central London deployment demonstrated that HCF could move from technical testing into an operational network environment. NPS installed, spliced, tested, and validated ChronoCore within Colt's established metropolitan network.

According to Preston, the project shows that the specialist expertise and deployment processes needed to apply HCF's latency, capacity, and network-design benefits are available to network operators and customers.

Relativity Networks and Prysmian production

HCF has been a central focus for Relativity Networks under founder Jason Eichenholz. The company has worked with Italian optical cable manufacturer Prysmian. In July, the companies said they had produced their highest-density HCF cable to date.

Relativity's ChronoCore HCF is manufactured at Prysmian's facility in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and cabled at Prysmian's plant in Claremont, North Carolina. Couplers, fiber characterization, and installation training are carried out in Orlando, Florida.

Kevin Reynolds, executive director at Relativity Networks, said the London project showed that the company's HCF could be integrated into established network infrastructure. He added that the combination of reduced latency and high-bandwidth transmission could give operators and customers more options for designing and scaling future networks.