Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL), a leading optical and digital solutions company, announced the development of its slimmest fiber to date, a 180-micron optical fiber. This innovative fiber allows for the smallest diameters in cables with the highest fiber densities, and it was showcased alongside a next-generation microcable with 288 fibers capable of being deployed in 8 mm ducts at the ongoing FTTH Conference 2023 in Madrid, Spain.
STL is the first company in India and one of the first globally to develop this industry-leading product. This high-density microcable offers the best of both worlds to operators and installers by combining bend-insensitive properties with a fully backwards-compatible cable design.
As service providers densify the network with more fiber, duct space becomes a precious asset. STL's high-density microcable will help operators pack more capacity into limited duct space, reducing costs and deployment times.
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Jitendra Balakrishnan, CTO-Optical Networking at STL, said, "If it's a problem for the end customers, operators or installers – it's a problem worth solving for us. We need to make extremely smart use of the limited duct space in high and medium-density areas, for rollouts to be fast and cost-effective. Our product is going to deliver just that."
This announcement comes after a series of product innovations by STL, including India's first multicore fiber with 4X capacity and Stellar™, an A2 bend-insensitive fiber with full backward compatibility. The company was also among the top two globally to bring IBR (Intelligently bonded ribbon) cable technology into mainstream networks.
In addition to the marquee 180-micron fiber and microcable, STL is also showcasing its integrated optical fiber offering at the FTTH Conference 2023. The company's pre-connectorized optical connectivity kits – OPTO-BLAZE and OPTO-BOLT – come with plug-and-play capabilities for faster and easier installation. Its OPTO-DOP is another unique design that eliminates the need to provision traditional cable coils at drop locations, providing hassle-free, on-demand connectivity.
Paul Atkinson, CEO-Optical Networking at STL, said, "R&D and innovation in fiber design will be, according to us, the most important driver for future-ready networks. We are intensely focused on product innovations that will enable fiberization in a scalable, faster, and cost-effective way. STL's high-density microcable and integrated optical connectivity offerings will deliver a lot of value for our customers. I am also very excited about the fact that it will significantly reduce the plastic in the ground and contribute to our customer's sustainability goals."
STL's high-density microcable and integrated optical connectivity offerings are expected to revolutionize the optical industry by enabling operators to pack more capacity in limited duct space, thereby reducing costs and deployment times while delivering on their sustainability goals.
