Three news stories this week highlighted the continued growth of fiber networks, as users search for higher bandwidth speeds in more compact cable and network designs.

In one major development, researchers from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) may have come up with an idea to increase ten-fold the throughput in telecommunications systems. Currently, pulses of light need to be lined up one after the other in the fiber with a minimum distance between them so the signals don’t interfere with each other. This leaves unused empty space for data in the fiber.
Researchers Camille Brès and Luc Thévenaz have created a method for fitting pulses together within the optical fibers to reduce space between pulses, which means it could be possible to use all the capacity in an optical fiber. Read the complete news story here.
In similar news, DARPA researchers have essentially shrunk 50 m of optical fiber into a microchip size. This new class of photonic waveguides have signal losses approaching that of optical fiber in a much smaller component. Research such as this will enable users to connect fiber optics with microchip-scale photonic systems with much less signal loss. Read more here.
And none of this is surprising, considering that increasing demands for bandwidth speeds is transforming the cabling industry. As the costs of fiber have gone down, its use has dramatically increased in recent years, according to a study by Global Industry Analysts Inc. The report, “Fiber Optic Components: A Global Strategic Business Report,” highlights the impacts of Latin America and Asia-Pacific on the market, as these regions continue to experience rapid growth and use of fiber networks as well as a need for the technologies that drive them, including fiber optic transmitters, receivers, connectors and cabling. Read more and order the report here.
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