In the 2011 edition of its Plastic Optical Fiber Market & Technology Assessment Study,market research firm Information Gatekeepers Inc. (IGI) asserts the plastic optical fiber (POF) data business is enjoying “extraordinary growth” driven by automotive manufacturers in Europe and by new technology development.
IGI says that because POF use isn’t limited to telecommunications, the market is less susceptible to major downturns. For example, industrial controls and medical applications continue to be significant users of POF in addition to the automotive field, IGI points out.
Meanwhile, new technological developments in sources, connectors, and fibers have loosened the bandwidth-distance limits of POF to make it useful in a greater variety of applications, IGI says.
However, use of POF in short-reach applications continues to drive revenues. IGI now sees significant growth in high-speed links of less than 100 m, with speeds up to 20 Gbps.
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