Sterlite Technologies (STL) today announced the successful collaboration with Colt Technology Services (Colt) for the Multi-Core Fibre (MCF) trials executed across Colt's London metro optical network in London, UK. This marks a significant milestone in real-world validation of MCF technology as a sustainable, high-capacity, cost-efficient backbone for next-generation networks supporting AI, cloud, and digital services.

During the trial, STL's Multiverse™ Multi-Core 4-core Fibre—built in the same cladding diameter as standard single mode fibre (SMF)—was deployed. The trial was conducted within the London Metro network between two Colt PoPs, covering distances of ~ 9 km and 63 km. An 800 Gbps line rate was achieved with validation performed for 100GE and 400GE services. Comprehensive testing was carried out, including Chromatic Dispersion (CD), Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD), Crosstalk, Throughput, Fault analysis, OTDR, Loss, and Optical Return Loss (ORL) measurements, all of which delivered satisfactory results.

STL's MCF packs 4-cores into the same cladding diameter as standard single-mode fibre (SMF), keeping coating size at 250/200 micrometres and achieving ultra-high transmission capacity per fibre within the same diameter.

STL is among the first companies globally to take MCF from lab to real-world environments, spanning underground and duct networks with a complete ecosystem of fibres, cables, and termination solutions.