3M launches expanded beam ferrule and connector system for data centres
The new 3M Expanded Beam Optical Connector System is a scalable single and multimode interconnect system for data centre applications.
The new 3M Expanded Beam Optical Connector System is a scalable single and multimode interconnect system for data centre applications.
Corning has agreed to buy substantially all of 3M’s Communication Markets Division to for $900 million in cash. The deal is part of the company’s strategy to spend $1 billion to $3 billion in acquisitions, Corning said.
3M’s communications business, which has annual global sales of about $400 million, consists of optical fibre and copper passive connectivity products for the telecom industry – including xDSL, FTTx and structured cabling systems – and, in certain countries, telecom system integration services.
3M has launched its latest generation of BPEO splice closures for fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) distribution networks. (BPEO is an abbreviation of boite protection environmental optique, a name that has been known within the industry for more than a decade.)
Providing fast and consistent quality of installation, the new BPEO product family aims to bring FTTH network cabling projects within reach of a far wider range of suppliers, without needing to always depend on highly qualified fibre-optic engineers.
As the pandemic underlines the value of the internet more than ever, its underlying technology is making one of its biggest transitions for years.
The data centre market is a particularly wide-ranging one, with one of the driving forces in recent years the emergence of the hyperscale data centre or cloud service provider.
As the world struggles to settle into the ‘new normal’, today’s optical networks need to be flexible in their architecture blueprint, while adapting to new technologies to provide the kinds of new capacity and service options to meet accelerated demand for higher bandwidth.
To address the undeniable growing demand for higher bandwidth, optical vendors have been playing their role with the development of various coherent optical transceivers for different areas of the market, each with its own set of design considerations.
The demand for bandwidth has unarguably skyrocketed in recent years, thanks largely to the increased appetite for online gaming, content streaming and social-media use.
The importance of reliable connectivity has never been more recognised than it is now. While ambitious targets have been in place across the world for fibre deployment for some time, the ongoing pandemic has served to push it to the forefront.
Looking into the future of telecommunications, it could be argued that AI and telcos will effectively transform each other, explains Raf Meersman
How do we, as an industry, build better broadband for a post-pandemic world? The answer could be fixed, suggests Stefaan Vanhastel
Altnets could be the key to connecting rural areas in 2021, argues Michael Armitage
A glance at the current market for fifth-generation coherent optics, and some of the latest developments available