At GITEX 2025, Huawei unveiled its Passive Ethernet Network (PEN) solution, representing a major leap in campus networking. The announcement was delivered by Mr. Ricky Zhu, Vice President of the Campus Network Domain, Huawei’s Data Communication Product Line, during his keynote speech titled “Innovative Ethernet: A New Choice for the World.”
As AI terminals and applications become increasingly widespread, enterprises of all sizes are accelerating their digital and intelligent transformation. To support this shift, they need campus networks with higher bandwidth, simplified operations and maintenance (O&M), and future-proof scalability. Traditional passive optical network solutions fall short, and this is where Huawei’s PEN Solution makes a difference.
Built on energy-efficient and low-carbon design, Huawei’s PEN solution delivers three unique benefits: smaller footprint, simplified management, and sustainable deployment.
- Smaller footprint: By replacing traditional aggregation switches with passive aggregation modules, PEN frees up 75% of cabinet space and eliminates the need for deployment in extra-low voltage rooms.
- Simplified management: An innovative “one device, one network” architecture simplifies a traditional three-layer network into a single-layer architecture, reducing managed nodes by 90% and enabling ultra-simplified deployment and O&M.
- Sustainable deployment: Passive aggregation modules replace active switches, reducing overall network energy consumption by 20%. Additionally, Remote Units (RUs) can be directly deployed in rooms, saving up to 75% of cabling and further lowering energy use and engineering costs.
“Huawei’s PEN Solution sets a new benchmark in campus networking, delivering high-density access with 512 × 10GE per chassis and a core bandwidth of 160GE,” said Ricky Zhu. “Unlike traditional passive optical networks, PEN eliminates the need for optical splitting and enables true 10GE connectivity to rooms via optical fibers. Most importantly, the entire network runs on Ethernet protocols, enabling unified O&M and significantly reducing operational complexity and costs.”
With its high bandwidth, energy efficiency, and streamlined architecture, Huawei’s PEN solution is ideally suited for room-intensive scenarios, such as education institutions and healthcare facilities. As industries accelerate toward intelligent transformation, Huawei is committed to innovating network architecture, driving sustainable upgrades in digital infrastructure, and powering high-quality growth across industries.
