EU VECTOR initiative targets new field-installable fiber-optic connectors

Nov. 13, 2012
A seven-member team of companies and academic institutions has launched the “Versatile Easy installable Connector implementing new Technologies for accelerated fiber Optic network Roll-outs in Europe” (VECTOR) program. The VECTOR group, funded through the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), aims to develop a new field-installable fiber-optic connector system. The system will include both a fiber-optic connector and an installation tool.

A seven-member team of companies and academic institutions has launched the “Versatile Easy installable Connector implementing new Technologies for accelerated fiber Optic network Roll-outs in Europe” (VECTOR) program. The VECTOR group, funded through the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), aims to develop a new field-installable fiber-optic connector system. The system will include both a fiber-optic connector and an installation tool.

The VECTOR team expects to create a field-installable fiber-optic connector system that offers performance similar to pre-connectorized offerings. TE Connectivity will coordinate the three-year program through its Belgian entity, Tyco Electronics Raychem BVBA. Other VECTOR team members include:

  • DEMCON Advanced Mechatronics BV (The Netherlands)
  • Celoplás – Plásticos para a Indústria SA (Portugal)
  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
  • Universiteit Gent (Belgium)
  • Telecom Italia S.p.A. (Italy)
  • Telekom Deutschland GmbH (Germany).

“Current connection technology requires extensive pre-engineering and highly specialized manpower for field deployment. This makes the installation slow, unreliable, and ultimately raises the cost per connection to hardly manageable levels,” explains Stéphane Berghmans, project coordinator at TE Connectivity.” With VECTOR we intend to make fiber-optic connections as easy as electrical wire connections and to bring affordable ultrafast Internet connections to all European households.”

The team’s work will include both the VECTOR Connector (VeC) and the VECTOR Installation Tool (VeIT), according to information provided by a source close to the program. The VeC will be designed to support insertion and return losses in accordance with the IEC61300-3-4 and IEC61300-3-6 standards – better performance than connectors based on ferrules and aligned in a split sleeve adapter. The VeIT will be a handheld device that will perform fiber termination at length and connectorization. It will be designed to ease the burden of field technicians by automating such functions as fiber stripping, cleaning, cleaving, and fixation.

In operation, the fiber will be fixed by heat-shrinking into the VECTOR plug. When mating the plugs into the VECTOR adapter, the bare fiber will be aligned to the mating fiber via what the VECTOR team describes as “novel alignment structures.” The VeC’s unique self-cleaning features will further improve reliability.

The VeIT will be compatible with the majority of fiber-optic cables, pigtails, and drop cables. A ferrule-based converter will support compatibility with legacy connectors as well.

For more information on fiber-optic connectors, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.


Sponsored Recommendations

ON TOPIC: Options for Next-Generation PON

Aug. 31, 2021
An increasing number of operators are looking at 10G PON as the next step in their fiber access evolution. But how long will 10G PON meet their requirements -- and are their other...

On Topic: Optical Players Race to Stay Pace With the AI Revolution

Sept. 18, 2024
The optical industry is moving fast with new approaches to satisfying the ever-growing demand from hyperscalers, which are balancing growing bandwidth demands with power efficiency...

How AI is driving new thinking in the optical industry

Sept. 30, 2024
Join us for an interactive roundtable webinar highlighting the results of an Endeavor Business Media survey to identify how optical technologies can support AI workflows by balancing...

Advances in Fiber & Cable

Oct. 3, 2024
Attend this robust webinar where advancements in materials for greater durability and scalable solutions for future-proofing networks are discussed.