Sharks are not the nemesis of the Internet, says the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), which has released an analysis of the main causes of submarine cable breaks. Essentially, sharks and other fish were responsible for less than one per cent of all cable faults up to 2006. Since then, no such cable faults have […]
Year: 2015
Arc Fusion Splicing of Photonic Crystal Fibres
Arc fusion splicing is an established method for joining optical fibres in communication networks, ensuring splice loss down to 0.05 dB and excellent reliability. Telecom fibres are covered by IEC 60793 and ITU-T G.651.1-G.657 standards, with common material (fused silica) and cladding size (125 μm). Splicing equipment for these fibres is widely available. Fusion splicing […]
NEXT-GEN COMMUNICATIONS FIBER: Multilevel modulation formats push capacities beyond 100 Gbit/s
Since the late 1980s, fiber-optic networks have steadily become the bedrock for the ever-expanding global telecommunications system. Early fiber-optic links, such as the eighth transatlantic telecommunications cable (TAT-8) installed in 1988, were relatively simple systems by today’s standards and used on-off signaling to transmit a few hundred megabits per second (Mbit/s) over a single optical […]
Three Main Factors Affecting FTTx Deployment
When operators weigh up their FTTx architecture options, a number of factors will have to be taken into account. These include what assumptions are made about customers’ bandwidth requirements; the topology of the existing legacy network; the level of competition from cable operators; the cost of laying fibre to the node compared with running it […]
FTTN architectures and performance
Overview A fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) architecture comprises a fibre-optic link between the central office and an intermediate distribution point. From this distribution point, the home and/or building is served with voice and data through either a wireline or wireless connection. If the existing copper plant is used for the ‘final drop’, which is usually the case […]
OSP Outside plant construction
Overview The deployment of a PON architecture requires a number of outside plant components, including the optical distribution frame, splitters, splicing closures, and wall-mounted boxes on the home or the building. It also requires fibre-optic cables with specific performance characteristics, both in the indoor and outdoor environment. The selection of cables and associated components, as well as how […]
TV and video services in FTTx triple play service
As telcos turn to triple-play services (video, voice and high-speed internet access) to reduce churn and increase revenue, they need to find a way of delivering TV and video to the end-user as cost-effectively as possible. Each of the major point-to multi point PON variants – BPON, GPON and EPON – offers two different methods […]
What is PON Passive optical networks
The PON architecture comprises an optical line terminal (OLT), based in the central office, and the optical networking terminal (ONT) – sometimes referred to as an optical network unit (ONU) – based on the customer premise. To connect the OLT and the ONT with data, a fibre-optic cable is used to carry a wavelength downstream. […]
FTTx Overview
FTTx definitions 1 Overview The FTTx acronym is widely understood as Fibre-to-the-X, where X can denote a number of destinations. These include Home (FTTH), Premise (FTTP), Curb (FTTC), Building (FTTB), Home (FTTH), User (FTTU) and Node (FTTN). Clearly, however, there are overlaps in meaning. FTTP is similar to FTTB, and FTTC resembles FTTN. There is […]
Aerial Cable Installation – Cable Installation
Aerial or overhead optical cables are placed utilizing methods similar to other telecommunications cables. Aerial optical cable systems are constructed both using self supporting design and standard optical fiber cables. Standard design cables should be lashed to a preinstalled strand or overlashed onto an existing cable. 8.1 The optical cable can be pulled in from […]