March 2017

In a world where bandwidth is consumed almost as regularly as air, the demand for ubiquitous connectivity is paramount. What often goes unnoticed is that optical fiber is behind the scenes powering its functionality. This demand for bandwidth has brought Corning’s Optical Communications innovations to center stage.

Since the invention of the first low-loss optical fiber, Corning has continued to demonstrate its industry leadership by pushing boundaries with the technology. Recently, at the Optical Networking and Communication Conference & Exhibition (OFC) in Los Angeles, the company participated in joint demonstrations with ADVA and Kaiam Corp., celebrated two recently acquired awards, and unveiled three new cable products to nearly 13,000 conference attendees. This year’s presence at OFC also marked the first time the newly acquired Alliance Fiber Optic Products (AFOP) exhibited alongside Corning to showcase a comprehensive portfolio of optical communications solutions.

The new ribbon, loose tube, and mini cable products will accelerate cable access, improve safe handling, and offer increased density. These performance attributes are particularly important in addressing the increasingly prevalent conversion to optical solutions in the growth segments such as fiber-to-the-home and data centers.

One of the new cables debuted was the ALTOS® Lite armored cable with FastAccess technology, marking the first time customers will be able to realize the benefits of FastAccess technology in an armored cable. This improves both cable access and safe handling, it also provides up to 25 percent faster end access and 60 percent faster mid-span access than the company’s traditional armored loose tube cable. With this technology, installation time can be cut in half, even with inexperienced installers.

Corning also introduced the SST-UltraRibbon™ cable. This is the industry’s first 864-fiber outdoor central tube ribbon cable with gel-free coupling technology designed for aerial, duct, and direct-buried outside plant applications.

The third technology Corning debuted was recognized by the 2017 Lightwave Innovation Reviews. The MiniXtend® HD cable with binderless* FastAccess® technology is breaking industry barriers. Due to the product’s high-density, cables are produced up to 50 percent smaller than standard loose-tube cables while still maintaining high fiber counts. With duct space rapidly vanishing, this technology enables up to 70 percent faster cable access while diffusing the fight for valuable duct space.

Corning and ADVA showcased a 100Gbit/s direct detect solution built on PAM4 technology using the ADVA FSP 3000 CloudConnect™ and Corning® SMF-28® ULL optical fiber. It illustrated how direct detect signals can be transported over 100 km while still meeting stringent optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) requirements.

“Corning is pleased to be able to collaborate with ADVA Optical Networking and demonstrate how our ultra-low-loss fiber can deliver value and flexibility to data center owners,” said Dr. Bernhard Deutsch, vice president, product line management, Optical Fiber and Cable, Corning Optical Communications. “Corning SMF-28 ULL fiber provides more than 3dB improvement in loss budget over 100km compared to a link constructed with generic single-mode fiber. This capability enables a practical DCI link with workable margin to be installed over longer distances, interconnecting data centers spread over a larger territory. SMF-28 ULL fiber has been extending reach in long-haul networks for 10 years, and we are delighted to demonstrate the advantages it can deliver in the rapidly evolving field of DCI.”

Corning and Kaiam Corp. showcased an optical engine and single-mode fiber interface connector suitable for co-packaging with a 12.8 Tb/s switch chip. By converting high-speed signals to optical within the switch package, this high-density engine has the potential to cut chip interconnect power consumption in half.

“Thermal stability has been a challenge for fiber components subjected to the processing and operation ranges of electronics. Corning is developing novel solutions to provide single-mode stability for multi-fiber connectors in a form factor compatible with chip packages. This demonstration is an important milestone for the future of data centers and the role that optics will play,” said David Hubbard, Vice President and Business Manager OEM, Corning Optical Communications.

As recognition of Corning’s continued industry leadership, the company also received a Technology & Engineering Emmy® award from The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences earlier in 2017. Corning’s invention unleashed a communications revolution, allowing data to travel at the speed of light and the company’s recent successes continue that legacy.

 “We look forward to providing our customers with even more groundbreaking products, helping to address the tough challenges they see daily,” said John Igel, vice president and general manager, Corning Optical Fiber and Cable. As bandwidth continues to increase, Corning’s fiber and cable products will continue to help connect the world.