Huawei and Jiangsu Mobile Test Miniaturized OXC for Edge Compute Networks

Jiangsu Mobile and Huawei have completed live-network testing in Nanjing for what they describe as the global debut of a miniaturized optical cross-connect (OXC) device. Designed to push optical switching capabilities out to metropolitan aggregation sites, the compact hardware cuts volume by approximately 60 percent and power consumption by roughly 50 percent compared to conventional units. The deployment supports mesh networking, automated routing, and AI-driven self-healing, aligning with a broader national campaign by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to advance low-latency metropolitan computing infrastructure.

As artificial intelligence model training, regional compute coordination, and industrial automation demand millisecond latency, bringing optical cross-connect capabilities down to edge aggregation sites relieves physical space and energy constraints. Transforming traditional metro ring networks into mesh topologies speeds dynamic data routing and enhances network self-healing.

Jiangsu Mobile and Huawei have completed live-network testing in Nanjing of a miniaturized optical cross-connect (OXC) device, marking the global commercial debut of the equipment, according to People's Daily Online. Optical cross-connect systems serve as key switching nodes in optical transport networks, routing data streams across different wavelengths and physical paths directly at the optical layer. Until now, standard OXC platforms have been restricted to national backbone networks and provincial core exchanges due to their massive physical footprint and demanding room cooling requirements. The miniaturized unit reduces physical volume by roughly 60 percent and lowers energy consumption by about 50 percent, allowing it to be installed inside standard metropolitan aggregation sites. By moving optical-layer cross-connection closer to edge compute nodes, carriers can evolve urban networks away from conventional ring topologies and toward all-mesh layouts. According to technical specifications reported by People's Daily, this mesh architecture facilitates dynamic path selection between distributed nodes, replaces manual fiber-jumper adjustments with automated scheduling, and integrates an AI-enhanced Automatically Switched Optical Network (ASON) mechanism that automatically identifies fiber cuts and switches traffic paths. Wang Yiguang, deputy general manager of Jiangsu Mobile's Technology Planning Department, stated that deploying compact OXCs directly supports the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's (MIIT) October 2025 "millisecond compute access" campaign. Wang noted that the hardware underpins the operator's "1ms Guangsu" computing-optical initiative, meeting current compute-network integration requirements while establishing underlying physical infrastructure for subsequent technologies such as 6G. Gu Yunbo, president of Huawei's Optical Transmission Domain, attributed the hardware's reduced form factor to component-level developments, including a miniaturized wavelength selective switch (WSS), "honeycomb-wing" liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), and high-density optical backplane designs. Gu identified the trial in Jiangsu as a key milestone for Huawei's AI-OTN solution. Jiangsu Mobile indicated it intends to continue deploying all-optical computing network upgrades to facilitate cross-regional computing resource allocation.