Zyxel and Openreach team up to reduce plastic waste in Full Fibre installations
A new partnership between Zyxel Communications and Openreach is helping to cut plastic and packaging waste from the UK’s Full Fibre rollout - by deploying re-cycled ‘modems’ to connect customers.
Zyxel is deploying a range of new Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) - the wall-mounted box of electronics that converts optical signals into electrical ones used by household devices - with re-engineered casings made from 95[1] per cent recycled plastic.[1]
Openreach engineers have already installed half a million of Zyxel’s sustainable ONTs and the network provider expects to install even more this year as customers upgrade to Full Fibre - the UK’s most reliable broadband technology
The GPON[2] devices use recycled plastic in their construction and arrive in zero‑plastic minimal packaging made from recycled materials.
Openreach is working with Zyxel and other partners to manufacture the new kit – with casings made from re-cycled plastic pellets. Pellets come from a variety of sources within the polycarbonate (PC) plastic family, including recycled casings for laptops, tablets or phones, personal safety equipment like face shields and glasses, medical devices, and from headlights, taillights and interior trims in the automotive industry.
The move aligns with Openreach’s Let’s Reach Zero strategy to reduce carbon emissions and waste – including its commitment to remove 100 tonnes of plastic from its supply chain.
Zyxel’s ONTs use built-in Secure Boot technology and incorporate Airoha’s next-generation chipset, helping them meet all the requirements of the Telecommunications Security Act (TSA).
For this rollout, Zyxel created a bespoke ONT specifically for Openreach, designed to make it easier for service providers to move customers onto full fibre with speeds of up to 1.8Gbps.
James Harris, Head of EMEA at Zyxel Communications, said: “As Openreach continues to expand its fibre network across the UK, speed, reliability, security and sustainability are all important factors.”
“We’ve engineered our ONT portfolio to meet these exact standards, enabling Openreach to rapidly scale its multi-gigabit services and continue connecting millions of homes and businesses with confidence.”
“We are pleased to support Openreach’s ‘Let’s reach zero’ strategy. Through close collaboration, we have delivered a customised ONT design that significantly reduces the amount of plastic required in its manufacturing process.”
Trevor Linney, Network Technology Director at Openreach, said: “We’ve already passed more than 22 million homes and businesses to our broadband network, and more people across the UK are choosing Full Fibre as they rely on fast, reliable connectivity more than ever.
“As we continue connecting communities to our network, it’s essential we do so in a way that reduces our environmental impact as well as delivering world‑class technology. A great example of this is moving to 2.5G Ethernet by default, avoiding future truck rolls as customers seamlessly move to higher speeds.”
Abby Chicken, Openreach Head of Sustainability, added: “With Zyxel, we have a partner that shares our focus on reducing the environmental impact of our build - from using recycled materials in the equipment to cutting plastic in packaging - while still supporting secure deployment at scale.”
Openreach has a long tradition of working with suppliers to reduce the amount of plastic and components and a target to remove Single Use Plastics (SUPs) from its top 25 most consumed lines.
[1] The manufacturing process uses the maximum amount of recycled plastic that can be used (95 per cent) without compromising the structural integrity and strength of the ONT casing.
[2] Gigabit Passive Optical Network
