Standard performance of OM4 multimode fiber just got even better. The IEEE 802.3ba standards committee, of which OFS is an active member, recently approved increasing the link distance for this new fiber type to 150 meters at 40 and 100 Gb/s – a 50 percent increase over OM3 fiber. The new distance assumes a slightly lower allocation of 1 dB (vs. 1.5 dB) for connection and splice loss. This is readily achievable with today’s connector technology, especially with the exceptional glass geometry characteristics of OFS optical fiber. OFS’ OM4 fiber offerings include LaserWave® 550 Multimode Fiber and LaserWave FLEX 550 Bend-Optimized Fiber. For additional information visit the IEEE website >>

LaserWave FLEX Multimode Fiber provides improved bending performance at tight radii by confining higher order modes that normally escape from standard multimode fiber under bent conditions. To do this, the fiber cladding area surrounding the core is modified to include a depression that prevents light from escaping. Careful inspection of a fiber’s end face after connectorization with an inspection microscope will reveal a difference from standard multimode fiber. A small ring (or halo) around the fiber core will appear. Because the depressed area does not affect fiber performance, this fiber will provide end users the high quality and high bandwidth they expect from LaserWave Fiber, with the added benefit of superior bend performance compared to conventional products.
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OFS has published ground-breaking research on various designs for next-generation transmission fiber for coherent optical communications. At OFC/NFOEC 2010, prototype fibers with ultra-large effective area and reduced attenuation were featured in a live demonstration of 100 Gigabits per second (Gb/s) coherent transmission. “Based on the market direction toward coherent receiver technology, and considering the sensitivity of coherent techniques to non-linear effects, OFS is working with carriers and systems integrators to research what optical fibers will be necessary to enable 400 Gb/s and 1 Terabit per second (Tb/s) transmission technologies,” said Robert Lingle, Jr., Director of Fiber Design and Systems Research.
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OFS has the capability to color and splice ocean fibers to meet stringent cable requirements. Fibers are selected to meet customer specifications for number of fibers, colors, lengths, and transmission properties. They are then assembled into sets. Final measurements enable customer specified performance for all fibers in the set.
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... OFS’ Tony Irujo will give a presentation on OM4 fiber at the 2010 BICSI Canadian Conference and Exhibition in Montreal – the presentation will take place on Monday, May 3 at 1:15 p.m.
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... A presentation on multimode fiber for enterprise applications, offered by OFS’ John Kamino as part of a recent webcast presented by Cabling Installation & Maintenance and co-sponsored by OFS, is available here >>

... OFS will exhibit its industry-leading ocean fiber offerings at SubOptic 2010, to be held in Yokohama, Japan May 11 – 14
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