With the goal of helping fiber technicians, engineers, and telecom enthusiasts learn more about using and managing fiber, M2 offers several highly useful tools and resources for calculating fiber latency accurately, simulating fiber networks and technical optical fiber reference guides. There are several types of fibers and understanding more about them is extremely important for engineers working in the field of networking and communications. Designed by engineers for engineers, every solution and resource is geared to maximize value, benefit everyone, efficiency, and versatility to help you achieve your project goals. 

Are you thinking about upgrading your fiber optic network? Will your existing optical fiber infrastructure support the devices and services you plan to run? Could your organization benefit from having updated information about your fiber performance and inventory? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, fiber characterization testing will help you gather the necessary data. 

The global fiber optic cable market has been significantly growing in recent years to support the rising demand by businesses and consumers for internet-based communications and services. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend over the past few years, as network operators have been adding more gear and capacity to support remote work, cloud-based service, streaming video, IoT, and 5G wireless technology use. In 2022, some estimate the market is expected to grow by 35.1%, from $66.54 billion in 2021 to $89.91 billion. By 2026, the market could reach $227.54 billion at a 26.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), according to ReportLinker.

Cloud computing is a trending technology driven by the concept of utilizing internet-based, managed IT resources instead of maintaining the hardware and software components locally or on-site. A cloud computing infrastructure essentially creates a virtual enterprise IT environment consisting of software-defined components and computing power, storage, and network capabilities. This virtual infrastructure does what a physical infrastructure does and more, as it helps reduce costs and complexity while optimizing and centralizing data storage, management, and processing.

With the rapid evolution of technology, high-speed communications systems are essential for enabling telecom service providers to deliver large amounts of content around the world. The demand for faster speeds and more bandwidth is rising and optical fiber cables, which allow for the transfer of data using light signals, serve as the primary medium in these networks.

In addition to serving as an important workspace, today’s fiber optic testing labs often host visitors like potential customers or technology partners for demonstrations. As a result, the appearance of the lab is important and can influence a visitor’s perception of the company. A crowded or disorganized lab is not only challenging for engineers to use, but it can also result in a negative impression or leave questions in one’s mind: If things are this disorganized, can I trust the results I’m seeing? Are projects completely efficient? This is especially the case if a visitor was recently at a competitor’s lab that spared no expense in terms of making an effort to maintain a top-notch lab space.

When rolling out and maintaining a fiber optic communications system, latency is a critical factor that must be addressed. Dealing with latency issues can be very frustrating when they occur.