How Nokia Will Help EXA Infrastructure Expand Connectivity

Hoping to support data centre connectivity with significantly lower costs and power per bit, EXA Infrastructure is teaming up with Nokia to deliver a more modernised network.

Network capacity will increase by as much as 15% while reducing power and cost per bit by as much as 50%, Nokia says. Likewise, the upgrade will feature Nokia’s 1830 Global Express (GX) platform and ICE7 coherent optics to enable EXA Infrastructure to better deliver high-speed connectivity services to its customers.

The digital infrastructure company has also selected Nokia’s optical transport solution to support customer demand for cost-effective connectivity, including between major data centres. The modernised 1.2T-per-channel network will offer enhanced high-capacity and low-latency data centre connectivity services across EXA Infrastructure’s international network.

“Nokia’s 1830 GX solution with ICE7 coherent optics ensures a smooth transition from our existing ICE6-based infrastructure,” explains Ciaran Delaney, Chief Operating Officer at EXA Infrastructure. 

“The advanced performance of ICE7 will significantly enhance connectivity, empowering EXA Infrastructure’s global network to deliver robust services that keep pace with increasing bandwidth demands.”

Providing critical modern infrastructure

Based in London, EXA Infrastructure provides critical modern infrastructure that serves as the backbone for digital and economic growth. This includes mission-critical networks for governments and enterprises, hyperscale infrastructure and ultra-low latency high-bandwidth networks for data centres. 

The company specialises in data centre solutions, cloud integration and network security services, with each tailored to enhance the operational efficiency of its clients. This means that businesses are able to focus on their core objectives without worrying about technical disruptions. 

As an industry leader, EXA Infrastructure has been expanding its services recently with a strategic investment into fibre connectivity. Particularly at Telehouse South in London, the move is part of an aim to reinforce EXA’s critical digital infrastructure platform.

Following the success of an industry-first trial of the Nokia ICE7 solution in Europe, EXA Infrastructure selected the high-performance 1.2T coherent optical transport solution to upgrade its terrestrial network. This means it hopes to deliver high-capacity services for its customers at the lowest cost and power per bit.

“Driving down power consumption per bit is not just important from a sustainability point of view, but is also essential if providers are to meet spiraling connectivity needs, because power requirements are a potential limiting factor to data center growth,” says James Watt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Optical Networks at Nokia.

“Nokia’s industry-leading solutions ensure networks are not just keeping pace but staying ahead in the race to meet surging bandwidth demands.”

Nokia continues to invest heavily in data centre infrastructure

Although a leading telco company, Nokia has been pushing ahead with data centre investments over the last 12 months. The company attributes its dramatic revenue spike during this time to its work in the data centre industry, achieving a 10% rise in quarterly net sales in Q4 2024.

The company is now helping cloud builders worldwide to build modern data centre networks that are highly reliable, secure and easy to operate – which is essential to meet the growing demands of AI workloads worldwide.

In 2024, the telco was also selected by CoreWeave to support its hyperscale AI cloud, with CoreWeave deploying Nokia IP and optical platforms in data centres across the US and Europe to build out support for AI infrastructure.

Similarly, in April 2025, Nokia and Zayo Europe completed a live trial pushing 800Gb/s across 1,000km of fibre to demonstrate that Europe’s digital backbone can evolve without the need for infrastructure overhauls.

Speaking at the time, Paul Alexander, Vice President and Country General Manager of UK & Ireland at Nokia, explained: “At Nokia, we are committed to driving the next generation of network infrastructure by delivering cutting-edge technology that enhances performance, efficiency and scalability.

“With the growing need for high-speed, high-capacity networks to support advancements in AI and 6G, this trial exemplifies the critical role of innovation in helping businesses and data centres stay ahead of the curve.”

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