Cloud communications provider, Ribbon Communications has entered into an agreement to acquire, via merger, SDN/NFV and end-to-end packet-optical transport provider ECI Telecom Group.
As the year ends and a new one starts, it’s time to look back at some of the highlights of the last 12 months. 2017 was a great year for the optical networking industry and for Fibre Systems in particular as website traffic grew by 30 per cent. We’ve studied the statistics to see who was reading what. We then divided our top ten stories of the year into the five most-read news stories and the five most popular feature articles. Without further ado, here they are.
Here are the headlines that caught our readers’ attention in 2017.
Optical transport systems vendor ECI has added a network maintenance app, LightCARE, to its LightAPPS family of applications for software-defined networking.
LightCARE continuously and proactively monitors the health of the network to pre-empt potential failures and avoid network downtime. This, in turn, increases customer satisfaction and loyalty, which are both important to any business.
FormFactor's fast photonic wafer probers enable rapid tests through faster photonic alignment than previously possible. (Credit: FormFactor Inc)
To some, optical communication product buyers’ expectation that prices continually fall may seem a strange and unnecessary pressure on vendors.
Image credit: Christoph Burgstedt/Shutterstock.com
The submarine cable industry is still a very healthy one, with figures from Research and Markets predicting that it will reach $30.8bn by 2026.
Image credit: Farknot Architect/Shutterstock.com
The drive toward 5G and beyond has been a key factor in the demand for higher bandwidth and more reliable networks. This has, in turn, brought about a greater appetite for intelligent infrastructure supported by automation.
Image credit: kmls/Shutterstock.com
Arguably one of the biggest topics in optical communications in the past two years has been fifth-generation coherent optics, with a raft of trials and demonstrations, highlighting 800G wavelength achievements taking place.
Image credit: nutalina/Shutterstock.com
Fibre deployment is currently taking place at pace throughout the world. According to the latest study from research firm, Global Industry Analysts (GIA), the global FTTH/B market is predicted to reach S31.3bn by 2026.
Fibre networks have allowed 5G trials to take place across areas of South Africa such as Port Elizabeth (MD_Photography/Shutterstock.com)
Kithinji Muriungi of KamsHub presented at this year’s OFC, focusing on how fibre technology in Africa might look in 2030
Jay Tourigny takes a look at cleaning techniques and which are suited for different applications
