Fiber optic testing and training are important aspects of ensuring optical communications networks operate successfully as designed and intended. When thinking about the big picture, testing and training happen at many different levels and in a variety of instances both before, during, and after the network has been installed.

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.

Along with being highly regulated, energy and electric utilities companies have faced a transitioning business model with declining electricity use resulting from increased competition, distributed generation, and growing use of renewable sources like solar and wind. Consumers ultimately have more choices now than in past years, making it more challenging for these companies to achieve their revenue growth and profitability goals.

In today’s advanced fiber optic networks, multi-fiber cabling is utilized both inside data centers and across vast field networks as it provides the most efficient approach for deploying large counts of fibers using as little physical space as possible.  At the most basic level, a multi-fiber cable is typically comprised of a ribbon cable surrounded by a protective outer jacketing.  These ribbon and/or multi-fiber cables are available with number options when it comes to fiber counts (ex: 8, 12, 24, etc)

We’ve recently written about the importance of simulating submarine fiber networks in a lab environment for testing and training purposes, while highlighting the history and shifting investment dynamic in this arena.  A visit to Submarine Cable Map offers an interactive view of the breadth of fiber cabling crisscrossing the oceans of the world, demonstrating its critical importance to global communications.

When utilizing optical fibers for high-speed communications applications, there two primary categories that fibers are grouped into, based on their construction and intended applications. In this article, we will review both Single Mode and Multimode optical fiber classifications, providing a quick introduction to both types and their key differences.

With the explosive growth of global bandwidth demands, data centers and service providers have been busy adding new fiber infrastructure, interconnects, and upgrading their systems and hardware to newer and faster technology. As part of this, both latency and optical signal synchronization are critical factors that engineering teams must manage in order to maximize performance and support their customers across various industries.  

Radio Frequency over Fiber (RFoF) is a critical component in industries such as aerospace, radar, broadcasting, satellite and GPS communications, along with weight-sensitive environments such as the space or undersea industries. With RF over fiber, radio communication is consistent and reliable.