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CONTENTS FOREWORD


F BRESYSTEMS Contents


Formerly FibreSystems Europe Issue 09 • Autumn 2015 C 4


10 13 16 20 25 29 33 36


Cover: Xtera


Editorial and administrative team Editor: Dr Pauline Rigby • pauline.rigby@europascience.com • Tel: +44 (0)1223 211170 Technical writer: Robert Roe • robert.roe@europascience.com • Tel: +44 (0)1223 275464 Circulation/readership enquiries: Jesse Lund • subs@europascience.com • Tel: +44 (0)1223 275218


Advertising and production team Advertising manager: Sarah Ellis-Miller • sarah.ellis.miller@europascience.com • Tel: +44 (0)1223 275468 Production manager: Alex Mappledoram • alex.mappledoram@europascience.com • Tel: +44 (0)1223 275471 Design: David Houghton • david.houghton@europascience.com • Tel: +44 (0)1223 275474


Corporate team Chairman: Dr Tom Wilkie • tom.wilkie@europascience.com Managing director: Warren Clark • warren.clark@europascience.com


Fibre Systems is published by Europa Science Ltd, Unit 9, Clifton Court, Cambridge CB1 7BN, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1223 211170 Fax: +44 (0)1223 213385 Web: www.europascience.com ISSN: 2053-5147


All editorial information should be sent to editor.fibresystems@europascience.com


Subscribe for FREE online at www.fibre-systems.com/subscribe


News New York bid wins US photonics manufacturing competition l Sharks prefer a low-fibre diet l Orange


reaches record 38.4T transmission in the C-band l Fibre broadband boosts US home values


Profile: MicroCare Beth Harlen talks to Mike Jones and Scott Wells about critical cleaning of optical fibres


Feature: Soft optics, hard photons Geoff Bennett examines how software programmable modulation gives operators more scope for optimisation


Feature: Taking multimode fibre to new wavelengths New products support wavelength multiplexing over multimode fibre, as Robert Roe and Pauline Rigby report


Feature: A second life for old cables Redeployment of submarine cables can offer environmental and financial benefits, writes Bertrand Clesca


Feature: Redefining density Matthew Guinan looks at products that help operators cope with the increasing amounts of fibre in their networks


Feature: ROADMs move into the cloud Reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexers will bring efficiencies to data centre interconnect, argues Bill Kautz


Product Update A round-up of some of the latest new product announcememtns


Show Preview: ECOC 2015 A look ahead to who’s exhibiting and what’s on display in Valencia this September


29 20 16


apacity and density are the themes running through this issue of Fibre Systems magazine. Tey represent two


of the most important considerations for developers and purchasers of optical networking equipment. Following several decades of innovation, advances in total system capacity and density are increasingly hard to come by, but that doesn’t mean progress has come to a standstill, as the articles in this issue will attest. On page 13 of this issue, Geoff Bennett looks


at the benefits of soſtware-defined optics, using programmable modulation schemes and baud rate combined with a flexible frequency grid to provide a new way to optimise optical system density without sacrificing capacity. Inside data centres, there’s a new worldview


as wavelength division multiplexing over multimode fibre makes its debut. Tis will allow data centre operators to boost interconnect capacity while keeping the fibre count low, as Robert Roe and Pauline Rigby explain on page 16. More intelligent use of capacity is the subject


of the article by Bill Kautz, who predicts the evolution of data centre interconnect networks from simple point-to-point links to flexible, programmable networks based on reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (page 29). Density rather than capacity is the new


headache as operators replace copper with fibre in the access network. Mathew Guinan discusses innovations that help operators manage the increasing amounts of fibre in their networks (page 25). Last but not least, in our cover story, which


SUBSCRIPTIONS: Free registrations available to qualifying individuals. Paid subscriptions available to readers outside registration requirements. Enquiries to Europa Science, Unit 9, Clifton Court, Cambridge CB1 7BN, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1223 211170. Fax: +44 (0)1223 213385. ©2015 Europa Science Ltd. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this magazine, errors or omissions are not the responsibility of the publishers or of the editorial staff. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers or editorial staff. All rights reserved. Unless specifically stated, goods or services mentioned are not formally endorsed by Europa Science Ltd, which does not guarantee or endorse or accept any liability for any goods and/or services featured in this publication. US copies: Fibre Systems is published by Europa Science Ltd and distributed in the US by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville PA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fibre Systems, PO Box 437, Emigsville PA 17318-0437.


you’ll find on page 20, Bertrand Clesca looks at the economics and practicalities of recovering old submarine cables from the sea bed and then re-deploying them to connect remote island communities in the ocean. Usually retired from the busiest international routes where obsolete technology couldn’t keep up with capacity demands, these cables are just the ticket to help isolated islands stay in touch with the rest of the world. Enjoy the issue!


Pauline Rigby Editor, Fibre Systems pauline.rigby@europascience.com


Issue 9 • Autumn 2015 FIBRE SYSTEMS 3 Foreword Capacity challenged


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