A CLEAN START


IN THIS ISSUE... 04 NEWS


09 NEWS EXTRA


EU Chips Act to combat semiconductor shortages n FTTH Conference Europe moves to May n Affordable Connectivity Program launched by FCC n Openreach to create and fill 4,000 jobs this year n Optical transport demand to reach $18bn in five years


A selection of ISPs and providers have commited to counteracting living costs


10 ANALYSIS & OPINION:FTTH IN EUROPE Industry responses to the UK government’s connectivity mission in the ‘Levelling Up’ white paper


12 FEATURE: FTTH IN EUROPE Keely Portway looks at the latest developments when it comes to FTTH deployment


in Europe and what needs to be done to overcome the hurdles in the path of acceleration


16 FEATURE:PHOTONIC INTEGRATION Photonic integrated circuits (PIC) are becoming more advanced for optical


communications to sustain the unprecedented rise in traffic, finds Abigail Williams


20 FEATURE:RECRUITMENT Keely Portway reports from a recent webinar about how the telecoms sector is


addressing the current shortage in skills, from recruitment through to keeping great candidates once they are on board


24 26 30 34


TECH FOCUS: HIGH-CAPACITY OPTICS A glance at the current market for OLT equipment, and some of the latest developments available


ANALYSIS & OPINION:WOMEN IN FIBRE Crissi Williams asks, how do we fix the gender disparity in tech in 2022?


ANALYSIS & OPINION:SKILLS The continued resource challenges faced by operators could be aided with advances in tools and technology, argues Stéphane Chabot


PRODUCTS A roundup of recent product announcements


Editorial team Editor: Keely Portway 221048


n keely.portway@europascience.com, +44 (0)1223 Regular contributor: Abagail Williams


Advertising and production team Advertising manager: Jon Hunt


n n n jon.hunt@europascience.com


Tel: +44 (0)1223 221034 Design and production manager: David Houghton


n


david.houghton@europascience.com Tel: +44 (0)1223 221034 Senior designer: Zöe Andrews zoe.andrews@europascience.com Tel: +44 (0)1223 221035


Corporate team Managing director: Warren Clark


n warren.clark@europascience.com


Fibre Systems is published by Europa Science Ltd, 4 Signet Court, Cam- bridge CB5 8LA, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1223 221030 Fax: +44 (0)1223 213385 Web: www.europascience.com


ISSN: 2053-5147


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


www.fibre-systems.com @fibresystemsmag n n


SUBSCRIPTIONS: Free registrations available to qualifying individuals. Subscriptions £120 per year for four issues to readers outside registration requirements. Enquiries to Europa Science, 4 Signet Court, Cambridge CB5 8LA, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1223 221030. Fax: +44 (0)1223 213385. ©2018 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.


COVER: Shutterstock.com


SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE ONLINE AT WWW.FIBRE-SYSTEMS.COM/SUBSCRIBE


W


elcome to the Spring edition of Fibre Systems. Te journey out of Winter and into Spring oſten brings


with it a desire to start afresh, to clear out old things and tackle the traditional ‘Spring clean.’ And if the last two years have taught us anything, it is that cleanliness and hygiene are not only essential for our wellbeing, but also for businesses and other organisations trying to stay afloat during difficult times. Of course, if we’re talking about clearing


out old things, I’d sincerely like to add the pandemic itself to the pile of things to put in the bin! But for now, some old practices, such as the expectation to be in an office full-time, are certainly moving on, in favour of more flexible alternatives and this is no bad thing. Spring is also oſten a time where people


decide to take stock of their careers, with many looking for a change in line with the season. While there are still many thousands of positions currently open in the telecoms industry and a shortage of people to fill them, this would certainly be a welcome development. On page 20, we hear from three industry recruitment experts who offer their views on how we can atract and retain more great people to telecoms jobs. To bring things back around for a second, it’s worth mentioning that flexibility is cited as a key selling point for candidates. But, of course, flexible working would


simply not be possible without the networks themselves, so it is great so many nations are accelerating their fibre deployments with ambitious targets. On page 12, our feature on FTTH in Europe highlights some of the work being done on that continent alone to ensure these targets are met, and looks at what might need improvement – with the aforementioned skills shortage being one area to tackle. It is certainly worth adding that technology


plays just as vital a role in reliable, fast connectivity, as evidenced by just some of the headaches caused by the ever-present chip shortage. In our feature on page 16, you can read more about some of the latest advances in photonic integration and how these are benefiting high-capacity networks. Tis issue also contains a number of analysis


and opinion articles, ranging from how technology can help with the skills shortage, how we can make our industry more diverse, and what UK providers and ISPs really think about the government’s Levelling Up strategy. Tere are also our regular news pages and


new product launches to have a look at, and a technology focus article dedicated to OLTs, so why not take a break from work (or from cleaning) for a few minutes, grab a drink and have a read? I hope you enjoy the issue!


Issue 35 n Spring 2022 n FiBRE SYSTEMS 3


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40