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.

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.

While the adoption and deployment of 100G systems and related devices in data centers has continued to grow at a solid pace the past few years, network equipment manufacturers have started taking the next step for supporting even greater bandwidth demands by developing 400G optics and transmission systems.

As we enter the last quarter of the year, businesses are starting to or continuing to plan and budget for the upcoming year.  This may mean new investments, new equipment and other upgrades in technology or infrastructure to support and position the company to be competitive and successful in the upcoming year.  

Using Fiber Network Simulation to Certify New Optical Equipment 

It is well known that fiber optics are at the heart of data-focused industries such as telecommunications, cable, and enterprise networking.  But fiber optic technology also plays a critical role for utility providers such as electric, gas, and water. Simulating the network and testing for latency are keys to successfully deploying fiber networks in the utilities industry.

Network optimization is pretty challenging and requires effort and expertise. However, as they say, the bitter the challenge, the sweeter the reward. Before you dive into it, do the right amount of research. Once you get the hang of it, the results will amaze you and, well, others!

When the time comes to buy spools of optical fiber for testing and demonstrating communications systems, there are a few items to consider that will help ensure you end up with an ideal setup.  Since it has been proven that following a few best practices will help you get the most out of your fiber, thinking about these four important items in advance will allow you to further qualify your needs as well as speed up the purchasing process.

Often not considered, it is important to remember that looks really do matter!