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. 

Driving Value with Radio Frequency Over Fiber (RFoF)

Wireless technology and fiber optic communications have revolutionized everyday life.  In her article, Radio Meets Fiber Optics: RF Over Fiber, Marie Christiano states that “using radio frequency (RF) signals, wireless has given us military radar, avionics, cellular and satellite communications; our world is safer and more interesting thanks to all the benefits provided by wireless breakthroughs. We no longer need to be ‘homebased’ for an expected call or to catch a podcast; our banking, fitness routines, transportation, communications and home security can all be scheduled and controlled from our mobiles.”

Undersea cabling has connected continents for more than 100 years.  With exponential growth in bandwidth demands, private companies have begun large investments in underwater fiber optic cable to serve their customers’ needs. Because of the unique deployment and additional risks associated with underwater cabling, training and testing with the help of M2 Optics is critical. 

5G, with its promise of lightning-fast speed and response time, is everywhere.  Turn on the TV, listen to the radio, visit your favorite website, drive past a billboard and you’ll likely see or hear some advertisement, banner ad, or commercial about a wireless network’s new 5G infrastructure or phone.  This is the next evolution in mobile technology and is generally considered a leap forward and the doorway to a technology revolution.

The Importance of Reliable Fiber Networks

According to a recent study from the Fiber Broadband Association and RVA, LLC, broadband use during the pandemic became critical as individuals weathered the uncertainty from their homes. One area where broadband saw a significant increase was the use of video conferencing, a technology that requires high levels of reliable bandwidth, as well as online gaming and video streaming.  A Lightwave article notes that in the first quarter of 2020 bandwidth use increased by 47%, with, “the average broadband subscriber consuming a weighted monthly average of 402.5 GB of data.”

OFS recently made a splash when they announced a new hollow-core optical fiber optimized for low latency transmission.  While hollow-core fibers have existed for about 20 years, it is exciting to see such an innovative and promising fiber technology being more broadly applied to commercial applications. 

For many years, communications network equipment manufacturers performed most of the lab testing efforts when designing and certifying their gear for use in the field by their customers.  Now that fiber optic systems are the norm around the world for driving communications, many of the equipment users themselves are testing potential devices before deployment to determine the best solution for their own unique needs.  Financial service providers, utilities, local governments, and smaller regional internet providers have recognized that having even a small and efficient lab setup where they can simulate their network and train technicians can go a long way in optimizing their operations.

Simulating real-world fiber optic links and time delays in the lab environment is both a frequent and necessary task for engineers performing R&D and equipment certification testing processes.  With the evolution to more advanced network architecture, increasing speeds of 400G and beyond, and latency always being a key element, replicating the field network as closely as possible in the lab is critical to ensure systems will perform as expected post-deployment.