Lisbon, Nov. 3, 2025 (Lusa) - The minister of the economy and territorial cohesion praised the work carried out at the University Institute of Lisbon, namely the fibre optics research centre with several hubs, which could "transform Portugal into the world centre for optical telecommunications".
"ISCTE - Lisbon University Institute is well known for its capabilities and knowledge in the social and human sciences, but ISCTE is also making strides in the field of technology, which is very good," said Castro Almeida on Monday.
The minister was speaking at the inauguration of the multi-core fibre optic test bed (Lisbon Underground Multicore Fibre Ring - LUMIRing) which took place at ISCTE and at the Cidade Universitária station on the Yellow Line of the Lisbon Metro, where LUMIRing was installed.
The project has a cost of €2.3 million, with Castro Almeida stating that around €600,000 comes from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Coordination and Development Commission, from the Lisbon 2030 Programme, and €900,000 from the Lisbon-based Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, with the remainder coming from ISCTE's own funds.
"Today, more and more people need fibre optics, and fibre itself needs to be improved. What ISCTE is studying here is the possibility (...) of fibre optics having multiple cores, which means multiplying the speed of fibre optic communications several times over," said the minister.
Castro Almeida revealed that he had learned a new word today, saying that, in addition to gigabytes and terabytes, there is now the peta, "which is the unit of measurement that is now (...) being used in this experiment".
"So it's very good to see the University researching, in partnership with companies, to be able to bring new fibre optic cables to market, much faster than the ones we have today," he said.
For the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, this is the moment that brings together "the best that Portuguese universities have in the field of telecommunications, with an infrastructure company such as the Lisbon Metro, and the ability to create a “living lab” in real operating conditions for what is the future of fibre optic telecommunications".
"Telecommunications in Portugal are a necessary condition for attracting investment, and the infrastructures are making this investment in conjunction with the private sector and now with the knowledge and talent of Portuguese universities," he reiterated.
The new test bench will allow four and seven-core fibre optics to be tested in a real urban environment, promising to multiply data transmission capacity and revolutionise global communications from 2026 onwards.
Cable installation began on 1st September and operational testing will take place in 2026.
Installed along the Yellow line, between Odivelas and Rato, the system covers 26 kilometres of underground infrastructure and will have more than 1,900 km of multi-core fibre for testing, of which 728 kilometres will be of the same type, making it the most extensive and technically advanced in the world.
The size of the testbed in the Lisbon Metro will be incomparably larger than the facilities in operation elsewhere in the world: an infrastructure for testing in a real environment with a 74-fibre cable (64 with four-core and 10 with seven-core), totalling 326 channels and 728 km equivalent of testing along the route.
For Maria Helena Campos, acting president of the Lisbon Metro, this collaboration represents "a unique opportunity to test state-of-the-art technologies in a real urban environment and on an operational scale".
"This partnership highlights the ability of the Lisbon Metro to attract projects of high scientific and technological value, projecting its image on the national and international scene and fostering synergies with academic and scientific institutions, within a framework of public responsibility and commitment to sustainable development," said Maria Helena Campos.
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology of Japan (NICT) was the first organisation to sign a protocol with ISCTE on the multi-core fibre optic testing project. The Japanese state agency is responsible for breaking the world record for internet speed using fibre optics in 2025, reaching 1.02 petabits per second.
In addition to the German group, Heraeus Covantics, a global leader in high-purity quartz products for fibre optic production, ISCTE's test bench partners include Metropolitano de Lisboa, Telcabo, a Portuguese company that installs multi-core fibre cable, and the Italian group Tratos Cavi, responsible for the cable that surrounds the multi-core fibres.
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