Product of the Week: Kontron’s Iskratel Lumia C16 Compact, Dual-Mode Combo OLT

May 05, 2025

Sponsored Story

Lately, we are seeing increased interest in XGS-PON, GPON, and 10GE point-to-point (P2P) fiber networks, particularly as they enable seamless service delivery across residential, business, and mobile backhaul applications within a unified access infrastructure. One product that’s geared to enhance such networks is the Iskratel Lumia C16 compact, high-density Combo Optical Line Terminal (OLT), developed by Kontron. Designed for maximum deployment flexibility, it enables seamless service delivery across the aforementioned application spaces.

Equipped with 16 combo ports, the Lumia C16 supports up to 4096 ONTs, providing scalable performance tailored for dense urban neighborhoods, suburban developments, enterprise parks, and municipal broadband initiatives. The integration of both PON and P2P technologies within a single platform lets operators optimize their fiber footprint, leveraging PON for high-density residential zones and P2P for SLA-sensitive business or backhaul connections.

Indoors or Out, Hot or Cold

The terminal’s ultra-compact 235-mm ETSI-compliant depth and wide operating temperature range (from -40°C to +65°C) suit it for space-constrained environments such as outdoor street cabinets, telecom shelters, and remote central offices. This design flexibility significantly reduces infrastructure and deployment costs, particularly in distributed or rural network architectures where cabinet real estate is limited. It is also engineered for long-term network evolution, which is a key feature, as OEMs look to protect their investments. Platforms are being deployed in the field for longer and longer with each generation.

According to Kontron, the Lumia C16 represents the industry’s first dual-mode Combo OLT, capable of functioning as a traditional integrated OLT or as a programmable disaggregated OLT (pOLT) compatible with CORD and vOLTHA architectures. Through simple software reconfiguration, operators can virtualize the control and management planes, transitioning to a cloud-native vOLT deployment model without requiring any hardware modifications. This enables a phased and cost-efficient migration to software-defined access networks, aligning with modern strategies for central office transformation, automation, and reduced time-to-service.

Reduced Power Supports Green Initiatives

A key differentiator for the Lumia C16 is its low power consumption, just 155 W in typical operating mode. It also supports green network initiatives and sustainability mandates, making it an ideal choice for operators seeking to lower total cost of ownership (TCO) while enhancing service agility and future-proofing their access infrastructure.

In summary, the key features and benefits of the Iskratel Lumia C16 compact, dual-mode combo OLT include:

• 16 combo OLT ports support XGS-PON, GPON, and 10GE P2P fiber access
• 1U-format platform is flexible enough to serve residential and business users simultaneously, from the same box
• Low power consumption saves energy costs and reduces carbon footprint
• The platform provides easy integration with management and provisioning systems, a requirement for standards-compliant OMCI management
• A resiliency to harsh temperatures allows deployment at the central office and street cabinets
• The platform can operate as an integrated OLT or a disaggregated pOLT with no hardware upgrade needed for CO virtualization

The Iskratel Lumia C16 is available immediately with an AC power supply or dual DC supplies. Request more information at [email protected] or go to https://kontron-slovenia.com/.