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Tag Archive: Optical Fiber Articles for Data Centers

  1. Need Premises Fiber Optic Cable? Go Small and Dense!

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    When you need a fiber-dense yet compact cabling solution for high-bandwidth, high-density applications, look to the R-Pack™ Rollable Ribbon (RR) Backbone Fiber Optic Cable. As the newest member of our award-winning Premises Rollable Ribbon cable portfolio, this cable marks a key step forward in premises building cable innovation.

    Doubling the Density

    Combining plenum-rated materials with OFS rollable ribbons creates a very compact, yet robust and fiber-dense cable. By featuring rollable ribbons, the latest OFS optical fiber technology, the R-Pack RR Backbone Cable offers twice the fiber density when compared to a traditional flat ribbon premises cable. The result is a reduced diameter, fiber-dense cable that helps customers to substantially improve fiber routing and save on space in congested pathways.

    What are Rollable Ribbons?

    To form rollable ribbons, 250 micron fibers are partially bonded to each other at intermittent points. Rollable ribbon cables offer the advantages of both loose fibers and traditional flat fiber ribbons in one fiber optic cable. These ribbons can be rolled and routed similarly to individual bare fibers and can also be spliced like traditional fiber ribbons.  Rollable ribbons promote efficient and cost-effective mass fusion splicing while also offering easy breakout of individual fibers. These capabilities can help simplify cable installation, save on splicing time and costs and get a new data center or building deployment up and running quickly.

    Versatile Cable

    While the R-Pack RR Backbone Cable meets stringent Telcordia GR-409 standards for horizontal backbone applications, its plenum construction also meets NFPA 202 requirements for use in a number of demanding building applications, such as routing through ladder racking and raceways.  This fiber optic cable can also be used in numerous other application spaces or even to construct assemblies.

    Featuring 24, 48 or 72 optical fibers in a versatile design, the R-Pack RR Backbone Fiber Optic Cable is a natural choice for use in Data Centers, Central Offices and Fiber-to-the-Business applications.

     

  2. Melting Arctic Ice Could Mean Faster Internet for Some

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    Have you ever wondered how an e-mail reaches your inbox from a co-worker in Europe? Or how a Facebook message gets to you from a cousin in Africa?

    The answer lies beneath the ocean. More than 745,000 miles of submarine cables featuring optical fiber make up most of the actual physical internet. These cables wind between and around continents, carrying almost all of our global internet communication.

    Recently, the huge amount of data sent between connected smart devices has begun clogging this network of submarine cables, just as interstate highways become jammed with traffic. One way to deal with this massive data growth is to increase the bandwidth capacity of the physical internet. Another way is to create more direct transmission paths between continents.

    Taking It Direct

    A new project in Finland hopes to use this second method. The plan is to install a new fiber optic cable route across the Arctic Ocean – the only large water body that is really untouched by submarine cables. While melting sea ice raises tremendous concerns for the health of our planet, it presents an entirely new opportunity to install digital links on a straight course between continents.

    For data from Asia to reach Europe, it must travel over thousands of cable miles around Asia, up through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean Sea into continental Europe. And while this occurs faster than the blink of an eye (about 253 milliseconds), researchers say that data and communication could travel 30 percent faster over a shorter, more direct cable route through the Arctic.

    Faster Connections Are Key

    Banks and financial trading groups eagerly await faster connections. Traders depend on powerful, low latency networks to buy and sell securities where milliseconds can affect profit and loss. However, big data would also benefit. Today, internet-connected devices outnumber people on the Earth by an almost 3 to 1 margin. And experts predict that internet traffic between Europe and Asia will triple in the next five years.

     The Challenges

    The deployment of this new cable would actually extend an existing cable route through Finland into Germany. And while a feasibility study by the Government of Finland calls the project a “win-win-win” for Europe, Russia and Asia, there are key areas of concern.

    First, constructing this new cable route would cost nearly a billion Euros. Secondly, the icy Arctic terrain and harsh weather conditions would certainly present logistical challenges. And there are always issues involving security. However, a separate cable installation linking Tokyo and London by way of Alaska and Canada is already underway.

    Our planet needs more almost supersonic connections. We can expect to see more efforts around the globe to reduce data “pile-ups” and speed the delivery of data and communication.

  3. Make Way for High-Density Fiber Optic Cables

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    High density cable means more fiber density in less space. From 5G to data centers to FTTx, the picture is clear. Everyone uses more bandwidth than ever before. And while bandwidth demand may seem endless, the space to install fiber optic cable isn’t. That’s why being able to install more optical fiber in the same or less space can be a game changer for today’s network operators. And it’s why “High Density” is also a critical word for many service providers today.

    With microcables and rollable ribbon cables that increase fiber density while saving on space, OFS is your high-density fiber optic cable solutions provider.

    Rolling In the Optical Fiber

    Rollable Ribbon fiber optic cables are one of the most exciting outside plant (OSP) cabling technologies today. These cables feature rollable ribbons, the newest fiber ribbon design from OFS. This ribbon can be “rolled” (compacted) and routed like individual fibers, allowing the use of smaller closures and splice trays.

    With up to 3,456 fibers, OFS AccuTube®+ Rollable Ribbon (RR) Cables help network operators double their fiber density in the same size duct or space. They also enable very efficient, cost-effective mass fusion splicing and easy individual fiber breakout. This ability helps simplify installation and save on labor costs. And by maximizing duct use, high-density AccuTube+ RR Cables are an excellent choice for connecting very large fiber distribution hubs. They are also very suitable for data centers, FTTx and access networks.

    Taking Things Indoors……

    With the award-winning AccuRiser™ RR and AccuFlex® RR Cables, network operators can bring the benefits of rollable ribbon cables indoors. The innovative indoor/outdoor AccuRiser RR Cable helps ease cable installation over ladder racking and through tight bends during routing. This high-density cable is excellent for use in data centers or central offices. It’s also a great choice for building-to-building cable connections along with routing for terminations and frames, and preconnectorized applications.

    The strong yet flexible, plenum-rated AccuFlex RR Cable helps prevent installation problems such as packing density, routing and deployment speed. This cable’s flame rating meets NFPA 262, allowing the cable to be installed into air-handling spaces. The AccuFlex RR Cable is an outstanding solution for data centers, central offices and head ends.

    With Limited Space, Go Small (and Dense)

    To help solve the problem of deploying or upgrading crowded FTTx or underground networks, OFS created the high-density MiDia®Microcable family. Optimized for exceptional air-blown installation, MiDia microcables can help lower installation costs while increasing fiber optic density and capacity in limited spaces. The MiDia Cable portfolio includes MiDia Micro FX Cable,  MiDia Micro GX Cable and MiDia200 Micro FX Cable.

    And for network operators who prefer ribbon cables and the benefits of mass fusion splicing, OFS offers the AccuRibbon® DuctSaver® FX Cable. This cable makes optimal use of valuable duct space. It also maximizes the key advantages of air-blown microduct installation: rapid deployment and service turn-up.

    To learn more about high-density fiber optic cables, contact OFS at 1-800-fiberhelp.

  4. Catch the Wave with TeraWave® SCUBA 125 Ocean Optical Fiber

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    OFS expanded its ocean product portfolio by introducing the new TeraWave SCUBA 125 Optical Fiber at the OFC Conference in San Diego, California, held March 12-15.

    This latest submarine fiber from OFS is optimally designed to deliver excellent performance for coherent transport submarine systems. The effective area of TeraWave SCUBA 125 Fiber is matched to terrestrial G.654.E fibers for reliable performance from the ocean landing site to terrestrial networks. In addition, this fiber offers outstanding cabling performance in the C- and L-bands along with world-class attenuation.

    The effective area of 125 square-microns reduces non-linearities, enabling the launch of higher signal power when compared to G.652 fibers as well as most G.654.B fibers, while the ultra-low attenuation of ≤ 0.158 dB/km (average) reduces signal noise. Together, these capabilities enable the launch of higher signal power into the span and lower amplifier noise. This, in turn, allows higher transmission speeds with more wavelengths over trans-Atlantic distances than ultra-low-loss G.652 fibers. (more…)