IN THIS ISSUE... 04 NEWS
CableLabs releases spec for DOCSIS 4.0 n Ofcom praises telecoms operators amidst Covid-19 crisis n Researchers demo reduced attenuation in hollow-core fibre by factor of 10 n Content platforms reduce European streaming quality to make way for remote working
09 FEATURE:NEXT GENERATION OPTICAL NETWORKS
Progress is being made on entanglement methods that can work in mainstream telecom wavelengths, in conventional networks, finds Andy Extance
12 FEATURE:FIBRE & 5G Keely Portway evaluates how the kind of full-fibre infrastructure that will be essential to support 5G can be realised in line with roll-out targets
16 FEATURE: BUSINESS CONTINUITY Keely Portway rounds-up the latest intel regarding the impact of Covid-19 on the optical communications industry from a number of leading analyst firms
18 ANALYSIS & OPINION:BUSINESS CONTINUITY Niall Looney offers a summary of the experience-to-date in dealing with the current Covid-19 pandemic, from a network design consultancy’s point of view
20 FEATURED TECHNOLOGY: MULTIMODE FIBRE Keely Portway looks at multimode fibre, including the the latest standards, technology, market and industry trends
22 ANALYSIS & OPINION: BROADBAND TRENDS Five industry experts from the Broadband Forum talk to Fibre Systems about the latest industry trends to impact the broadband market
24 26 28
TECH FOCUS: TEST & MEASUREMENT A look at the market for test and measurement equipment in the current climate, and some of the latest tools available, with Keely Portway
ANALYSIS & OPINION:BUSINESS CONTINUITY Keely Portway on how the optical communications industry has come together to counteract fake 5G news
PRODUCTS A round-up of recent product announcements
ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE
W
elcome to the Spring edition of Fibre Systems! So, how has your first quarter been? It feels surreal to think back to
our Winter edition, where I used the op-ed to talk about all the exciting events coming up in Q1. Tat aged well! Since we last went to press, things have
changed litle a bit. I write this now from a make- shiſt home-office in my spare bedroom, rather than from my usual desk in a buzzing editorial office surrounded by colleagues and banter. I am also conscious that, by rights, I should be rushing to get this writen in between meetings and conference talks at the FTTH Conference in Berlin. Yes, I’m afraid the only topic I can realistically
write about here is the Covid-19 pandemic, which is currently still very much changing the way we work, socialise, exercise and learn. Please do not get me wrong. I am not
complaining. I know that I am luckier than many. My job allows me to continue in a ‘business as usual’ manner in the most unusual situation I have ever, and probably will ever encounter. Tere is another group (my employers aside
– hello, Europa Science) that I need to mention when it comes to business continuity, and that is, of course, you guys! Te entire telecoms industry supply chain, but in particular the installers and engineers on the front line, have continued to work hard every day – and not always in the nicest conditions (see page 26) to make sure that broadband networks are sufficient for all of the extra ‘at-home’ activity. If we are to take one positive from the
horrendous situation, I would say that the Covid-19 lockdown has almost certainly ricocheted the telco into public consciousness as the ‘fourth utility service’. As things start to return to some form of normality, this should motivate greater investment in fibre deployment to ensure that networks are future-proofed to meet all the bandwidth demands thrown at them. Looking to the future, my short-term wish is
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that by the time you read this, we will be able to see a dim light at the end of the tunnel in the form of some kind of exit-strategy from the lockdown situation, and a move back to ‘normal’. Longer-term is interesting, with many leading
analysts predicting that, actually, Covid-19 will impact the market in a positive way, with a boost to the digital economy and, by extension, optical communications. At the very least, the (generally) positive 5G momentum, and more widespread understanding about just how important reliable broadband is are predicted to outweigh the downside risks from Covid-19. Find out more on page 16.
Issue 27 n Spring 2020 n FiBRE SYSTEMS 3
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