IDEAL expands fiber-optic tool line to serve escalating demand for lighting dark fiber
Aiming to capitalize on the mounting demand to light dormant or dark fiber-optic cable for use in LANs, industrial and home networking, security installations, and long-haul/broadband communications, IDEAL INDUSTRIES Inc., worldwide supplier of data-communications testing and service tools, today announced a major expansion of its fiber-optic tool line.
The broad-based product launch is the latest in a series of initiatives by IDEAL to extend its end-to-end solutions strategy of offering tools to cut, strip, terminate, test, and certify the widest array of wire and cable types.
In the coming months, IDEAL will introduce more than a dozen next-generation fiber-optic tools, including jacket strippers, cutters, scribes, polishers, and microscopes to help fiber technicians and installers light the tens of thousands of miles of dark fiber-optic cable currently installed worldwide.
"Less than five percent of installed fiber in the United States is carrying traffic, so the potential demand for these tools is enormous," contends Tom Reinert, product manager, Fiber Optic Tools for IDEAL. "Moreover, we believe the tools that are now on the market for fiber technicians are lacking in quality, performance, and value. This is where IDEAL steps in. Our new product line is designed for today?s technology environment."
Is excess capacity a myth?
Reinert expects that the insatiable demand for bandwidth capacity will soon leave carriers with little choice but to bring into service more fiber-optic cable.
Much has been made of the so-called glut in bandwidth, says Reinert. However, total demand for communications continues to rise 15 percent annually and Internet traffic is growing at least 80 percent per year. Research firm TeleChoice reports that 63 percent of busy routes between major cities are now running at or near capacity. The firm also calculates in an improving economy where consumers are offered a hot new application, such as downloading movies from the Internet, all lit and unlit fiber could be filled within five years.
For more information about IDEAL INDUSTRIES Inc. (Sycamore, IL), visit the company's Web site at www.idealindustries.com.