7 October 2003 New Orleans Lightwave--Optical fiber and cable supplier OFS (Norcross, GA) has improved the attenuation, dispersion slope, and geometry of its full-spectrum, zero-water-peak fiber, AllWave. The announcement was made at the Fiber-to-the-Home Conference and Expo 2003, held here, October 7-9.
AllWave fiber, OFS' standard singlemode fiber, spans the entire wavelength range from 1260 nm to 1625 nm. A patented process developed at OFS permanently eliminates defects that can lead to increased attenuation over time in the 1400-nm band. This assures the network operator of stable transmission in the 1400-nm band over the lifetime of the cable.
OFS is now specifying maximum loss across the 1400-nm band of less than 0.03 dB/km, compared to the former benchmark 1383-nm loss of 0.31 dB/km. Attenuation at 1383-nm is now a maximum of 0.31 db/km. The maximum values for attenuation at 1550 and 1625-nm for AllWave fiber are also improved. In an effort to lower network cost, OFS has lowered dispersion slope for AllWave fiber to 0.089 psec/nm²-km.
Improved loss performance and lower dispersion slope enables fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) service providers to increase reach by the use of low cost transmitters, improve system margins, and increase network planning flexibility. The low loss across the 1400-nm band gives network operators the option of using CWDM overlays on passive optical networks (PONs) to provide premium point-to-point services for high bandwidth customers.
The splicing performance of AllWave fiber has also been significantly improved. The mode-field diameters at 1310 and 1550 nm are specified at 9.2 +/- 0.4 micron and 10.4 +/- 0.5 micron respectively. Clad non-circularity is 40% better, improving from 1% to 0.6%. The geometrical properties and tight mode field control of AllWave fiber enable consistently low loss splices. Recent testing has shown typical splice loss for AllWave fiber to be less than 0.02 dB, when matched to AllWave fiber, or 0.03 when matched with other standard G.652 fibers. The improvements in geometry help to eliminate splice remakes in the field, and improve splice yields, lowering installation cost for the end user. Improved splice/connection loss coupled with low attenuation also improves system margins thereby extending the reach of both PON and point-to-point systems.
AllWave fiber is fully compliant with ITU-T G.652 standards for singlemode optical fiber, and exceeds requirements of the latest ITU-T G.652.C and G.652.D low water-peak fiber standards. AllWave fiber is an integral part of OFS' Access ADVANTAGE System, a FTTP solution enabling economical optical connectivity to homes, businesses, and multiple dwelling units.
OFS, formerly the Optical Fiber Solutions division of Lucent Technologies, is owned by Furukawa Electric, the majority shareholder, and CommScope, a broadband coaxial cable supplier.