Huawei, African Utilities Launch fgOTN White Paper to Revolutionize Power Communication Networks
At the Africa Energy Forum, Huawei, in collaboration with several African electric utilities, unveiled a groundbreaking white paper introducing fine-grain Optical Transmission Network (fgOTN) technology — a pivotal step toward next-generation power communication infrastructure across the continent.
The fgOTN White Paper for Electric Power provides a comprehensive roadmap for African power utilities to transition from legacy networks and meet the rising demands of digitalisation, AI integration, and advanced grid management.
Tackling Legacy Network Challenges
With Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) systems nearing obsolescence, many African utilities face limitations in adapting to fast-evolving service and infrastructure needs.
The fgOTN solution addresses these challenges by offering:
Fine-granularity, hard pipe optical transmission
Secure and isolated data channels
Enhanced bandwidth efficiency and communication reliability
The white paper outlines a future-ready, modular architecture tailored for Africa’s unique power landscape, enabling utilities to build automated, digitalised, intelligent networks capable of supporting real-time grid management and market-based energy transactions.
fgOTN: Designed for Africa’s Power Sector
fgOTN is based on an ITU-T-defined framework and inherits the reliability and stability of SDH while adding the flexibility and scalability of next-gen OTN systems.
Its deployment is expected to:
Improve operational resilience and control
Enable unattended substation operations
Facilitate seamless integration of renewable energy and AI-driven systems
Enhance cross-border energy trade and communication interoperability
Industry Support and Vision
Luo Xin, Optical Product Director at Huawei Southern Africa, emphasized the importance of fgOTN in modernising Africa’s grid:
“fgOTN is not only an upgrade — it’s a transformation. It merges the trusted performance of SDH with the intelligence of future networks.
“The CIGRE D2.65 working group’s endorsement earlier this year underscores its global relevance. With this white paper, we’re helping African utilities turn fgOTN into a strategic asset for smart energy development.”
Looking Ahead
The fgOTN white paper is expected to serve as a catalyst for collaborative innovation across Africa’s power sector, supporting the continent’s goals of energy security, climate resilience, and digital transformation.
