Contributed Article

by UCL Swift

Fiber optics have paved the way for rapid data transmission across longer distances. The connection performance of fiber optic cables must be at its maximum in order to meet this demand. This requires extreme attention to detail, as connectivity issues can depend on very minute variances.

In this article, we will discuss bore diameter, core concentricity and circularity, including what they are and how they affect fiber optic power.

Bore Diameter

Ferrules come with varying bore diameters depending on the size of the optical fiber it will host. One reason for variance is that the diameter is purposefully slightly larger than normal from a “standard” fiber diameter to allow for differences in cladding. Cladding is defined as a layer of either glass or plastic that surrounds the inner core with a lower index of refraction. Through reflection, it confines light to the core to improve light transmission.

Ferrules are manufactured using injection-molded ceramic. After the initial molding step, the ferrules are put through a precision boring process and then polished to remove any machining marks, nicks or scratches.The ferrules then have the bore diameter measured and sorted into different “grades.” Matching the grade of the ferrule to the application and desired performance level is a key step in preparation, along with specifying a fiber with low variation of the cladding diameter.

Singlemode ferrules require the highest tolerance on bore diameter due to the high tolerances necessary to guarantee correct alignment of the fibers (dictated by the small size of the optical core, typically 9 microns in diameter). Even a tiny mismatch between two singlemode optical fibers can produce large losses in light transmission. Multimode ferrule terminations can be more forgiving due to larger core size (50 microns, 62.5 microns, or up to 100 microns) and are not as sensitive to mismatch.

Bore diameter is the first step in a quality termination. Unwanted variation in bore diameters will prevent the optical fibers from being fixed along the center axis due to variation in placement. This variation will contribute to a mismatch in core alignment, possibly increasing the connection loss.

The bore diameter depends on extremely precise and minute factors. Fiber optics is a technology that requires extreme accuracy and attention to detail. If this factor falls short to a tiny degree, then loss of light and data occurs. The greater the discrepancy, the lower the connectivity performance.

Click here to read the full article, including a detailed explanation of core concentricity and circularity

UCL Swift manufactures ferrules used to make splice-on-connectors and to make connectors for cable assemblies. After creating the ferrules and machining the various features, each ferrule is subjected to multiple measurements to ensure compliance to internal standards (Ilsintech typically uses a higher internal standard than what can be found in general specifications). Each ferrule is graded according to dimensional performance (including bore diameter) and identified for where it will be used, or potentially discarded if it does not meet UCL Swift standards for performance. We use the best of the best to make connectors. Contact UCL Swift today at 972-556-0916 for ordering information

News

After months of rumour, the UK altnet has seemingly a majority stake to newly formed Agnar UK Infrastructure Ltd

For months now, the future of UK fibre altnet Trooli has been uncertain. Rumours have suggested that numerous parties were potentially considering a takeover bid, including the including rivals Virgin Media O2 and Zzoomm, with analysts suggesting such a deal could be worth over £100 million.

More recently, at the end of last month, the Financial Times reported that two infrastructure firms, Vauban Infrastructure Partners and Axione, had entered into discussions with Trooli over a possible acquisition.

This week, however, it seems that the successful suitor will be none of the above. As reported by ISPreview, an update to Trooli’s Companies House records shows that the altnet is now over 75% owned by a newly formed company called Agnar UK Infrastructure Ltd.

This deal is not entirely out of left field; Agnar is recorded as having two French directors – Maxime Buisson and Elie Nammar – both of whom have ties to Vauban Infrastructure Partners.

In the same filing, it was also noted that all Trooli’s original UK directors have resigned.

It is unclear what this acquisition will mean for Trooli’s ongoing rollout, which is currently seeking to pass one million UK premises with fibre-to-the-premise by the end of 2024.

In the past year, Trooli had been seeking to raise an additional £200 million via an equity share release for their ongoing deployment, so this takeover could provide some much needed funds to keep the fibre reel turning.

More details about the deal will presumably be shared by Trooli and Agnar in due course.

How is the UK altnet landscape evolving in 2023? Join the ecosystem in discussion at next weeks Connected North conference live in Manchester

Also in the news:
Telkomsel to merge with Indonesia’s largest fixed broadband operator
French operators head to court seeking compensation for forced Huawei removal
US wireless operators move to allay 5G aviation fears

News

The investment firm argues that it is not a threat to national security and that it will fight for the right to own the UK altnet

At the start of 2021, private investment firm LetterOne acquired a 100% stake in UK altnet Upp, with the goal of investing £1 billion to build a full fibre network in the East of England.

The deal was immediately controversial, with politicians and security experts calling into question the national security implications of LetterOne’s ownership and ties to the Russian government.

Co-founded by Russian billionaires, Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, back in 2013, LetterOne’s ownership of a critical infrastructure network in the UK could give them illicit access to sensitive information.

“I do think in the UK, if we’re serious about pushing back on potential malign influence, we need to be very careful,” Conservative MP Bob Seely told The Telegraph at the time.

Naturally, these concerns were only exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which saw the two oligarchs quickly sanctioned by the UK government.

LetterOne responded to these concerns by freezing out Fridman and Aven, including removing their access to the company’s building and shutting down communications access to other employees.

However, the seeds of mistrust had already been sewed and, in December last year, the UK Secretary of State for Business, Grant Shapps, enacted powers bestowed by the National Security and Investment Act (NSIA) and ordered LetterOne to sell its entire stake in Upp.

The decision marked only the fifth time NSIA powers had been invoked, with all four previous iterations relating to Chinese companies.

LetterOne, naturally, maintains that it does not represent a threat to the UK’s national security, noting that the business itself is not under sanctions.

Now, the firm is making a formal legal challenge against the decision, seeking to have the ruling overturned.

“L1 is not sanctioned and has taken fast, decisive action to put in place strong measures to distance itself from its sanctioned shareholders,” said the company in a statement. “They have no role in L1, no access to premises, infrastructure, people and funds or benefits of any description.”

The company notes that Upp is compliant with all of Ofcom’s rules regarding security, is run by a UK leadership team, and has a board of directors comprised of individuals from the UK, the US, and the EU.

LetterOne, which also owns health food chain Holland & Barrett, has made a very public effort to distance itself from its Russian owners, including reshuffling its own board and reallocating some of the funds that would have gone to its frozen stakeholders to charitable causes.

“We’re going to be one of the largest charitable givers, certainly in the UK,” LetterOne’s chairman Mervyn Davies told the Financial Times in December.

Whether this will be enough to help convince a UK court to reverse the government’s decision remains to be seen.

How is the UK altnet landscape evolving in 2023? Join the ecosystem in discussion at next weeks Connected North conference live in Manchester

Also in the news:
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US wireless operators move to allay 5G aviation fears

Broadband provider Plusnet will this morning further discounted the offers on their existing range of ultrafast and gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) powered packages for new residential customers – provided via Openreach’s national network, which sees the provider shaving another few pounds off each of their plans. As usual, these packages all include unlimited data usage, a […]

At present, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of where Cityfibre are actively building their new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network and which of those deployments have gone allow (i.e. allowing you to order a live service from an ISP). The following list may help to answer this. Just to recap. The operator […]

A report from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) – ‘The Growth Belt: Supporting Rural Small Businesses’ – has today highlighted the way rural businesses are struggling against a backdrop of mounting energy costs, poor transport links, and “unreliable broadband“. Focusing upon the internet connectivity aspect. The new report found that 32% of rural firms […]

News

Nine of the ten poorest scoring councils were located in the North of the UK, while all 10 of the highest scoring were situated in affluent parts of the South

This week, the UK government announced its new Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, promoting the use of the latest technology to turn the UK into a “digital superpower”. But, looming in the background of all this talk of 5G innovation and 6G progression, is the stark reality that connectivity is far from a given for many in the UK. The digital divide is very real and, according to new analysis from Uswitch.com, appears to largely mirror the North–South economic divide.

Using a composite ‘digital divide’ score derived from broadband speed and accessibility data combined with home working statistics, Uswitch’s latest analysis explores the digital divide as it relates to UK councils.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the best performing councils – with the lowest digital divide score – are largely from the South of the UK, with Rugby council the only (arguably) Northern local authority to make it into the top 10.

Table 1: The ten councils with the smallest digital divide (smallest to greatest)

Data from Uswitch.com

By contrast, the ten highest scoring ‘digital divide’ councils are primarily from the North, Scotland, and Wales. Indeed, of the 25 most digitally divided regions recorded, 12 were in Scotland and Wales.

The city of Edinburgh (15.6%) and the Vale of Glamorgan (17.3%) were the only councils from Scotland and Wales, respectively, to make it into the top 25 least digitally divided regions.

The ten councils with the greatest digital divide (greatest to smallest)

Data from Uswitch.com

The severity of the digital divide for some of these councils should not be underestimated. For the poorest performing council, Argyll and Bute, only 5.8% of premises have access to full fibre, the median download speed is 26.7Mbps, and less than a fifth (18%) of people work from home.

“Our digital divide report shows that regions with a poorer internet connection have less access to digital technology overall, with lower work from home rates and less reliable connections to the internet. Meanwhile, British councils with the smallest digital divide have higher percentages of their workforce able to work remotely,” said Uswitch.com fibre broadband expert Max Beckett.

“With the UK government recently committing £3.5 billion towards their ambition of becoming a scientific and technological superpower, including ‘levelling up’ more areas of the UK to foster better paid jobs and opportunities in these sectors, it is important to ensure people of all backgrounds will benefit from this investment in digital tech.

That the digital divide should closely correlate to the economic disparities in the UK should come as no surprise to anyone. Nonetheless, this analysis serves as a timely reminder that, even as major progress continues to be made in 5G and fibre, there are many parts of the country that are still woefully lacking quality connectivity.

Is the government doing enough to tackle the digital divide in the North of the UK? Join the connectivity industry in discussion live in Manchester next week at Connected North

Also in the news:
Telkomsel to merge with Indonesia’s largest fixed broadband operator
French operators head to court seeking compensation for forced Huawei removal
US wireless operators move to allay 5G aviation fears

The latest independent data from Thinkbroadband has revealed that 50% of homes across the United Kingdom (c. 15.365 million) now have access to a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, which transmits data over optical fibre cables using laser light. This splits down to 49.22% in England, 46.53% in Scotland, 46.09% in Wales and 90.50% in Northern […]

VIEWPOINT

A growing number of telcos have started to move towards 5.5G to further improve the customer experience and provide new and innovative use cases to increase their revenue. e& in the Middle East region is at the forefront of adopting new-age 5.5G technology to provide a superior user experience to their subscribers.

“We believe that next generation 5.5G technology will deliver an ultra-experience, larger bandwidth, higher spectrum efficiency and higher-order modulation. Speeds reaching up to 10 gigabits per second with unmatchable experience. Etisalat is always deeply engaged in the state-of-the-art proof of concept and trials around the 6GHz and around the millimeter wave (mmWave) that will help in spectrum harmonization, resulting in more bandwidth and improving the network experience,” said Khalid Murshed, Chief Technology and Information Officer at Etisalat by e&. He was speaking at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023.

As the number of consumers join the 5G network and enterprises start to use the technology for improving productivity and efficiency, the 5G networks will not be able to meet the demand. On the other hand, the next generation 6G technology is likely to be commercially deployed only in 2030. The 5.5G will help the telcos address this gap and will enable them to provide exceptional user experience and introduce innovative new use cases.

“In the next few years, the demand from the consumer and enterprise is going to be tripled if not tenfold of the current demand that we are having today. It is forecasted that the future digital and connected world will increase the demand up to tenfold. And 5.5G will address the future network requirements. And before time the networks should be ready for this unprecedented flux of requirements,” explains Khalid Murshed.

5G is already helping Etisalat in providing improved user experience. “Etisalat is very proud of adopting the state-of-the-art technology. We are also very proud of bringing relevant technologies to our consumers and our enterprises. Etisalat runs the highest penetration for fiber to the home globally, and according to the recent benchmarking results, we are also on the top of the world globally when it comes to speed of the 5G network. So, our technology direction always encircles around best user experience for end users, to make the network and infrastructure ready for premium in class services,” says Khalid Murshed.

The company is using cutting-edge technologies in both mobile and fixed networks to provide a truly differentiated experience. It is leveraging Massive MIMO, Wi-Fi 6 and 50 GPON, among others to ensure best-in-class user experience.

“We have also invested in our backhauling because we cannot ignore the importance and the relevance of the backhauling to adopt the state-of-the-art technologies and provide unprecedented speeds to our consumers,” says Khalid Murshed.

Driving sustainability

The communications service providers are under immense pressure to adopt sustainable business practices to bring down carbon emissions and become net zero. Changing regulatory norms coupled with the growing awareness of the end consumers is putting a lot of pressure on the telcos to realign their processes to bring down carbon emissions.

In this regard, Etisalat by e& has adopted several steps to improve sustainability. “Our commitment is to achieve this target by network evolution and network transformation, adopting state-of-the-art products and solutions that are more environmentally friendly, with low carbon emissions and more efficient water and waste management,” says Khalid Murshed.

“Our Environmental Management System is in place to encourage internal collaboration to create initiatives that promote environmental protection. And in 2021, we were re-certified for ISO 14001, the Environmental Management System, which is in place to encourage those initiatives taking place in practical terms,” he added.

Focus on key strategic areas

Etisalat is now focusing on key strategic areas, including driving digital future, accelerating value generation through innovation and digitization, improving its capabilities and developing talents for the future. Khalid Murshed elaborated that the company would be growing its presence in business-to-business segment in a digital way across their footprint. Further, e& would be expanding the portfolio in the MENA region and around the world.

“We will continue to transform to reach the level of excellence that we are aspiring for our customer and for our enterprise market,” says Khalid Murshed.

Slovenia-based ICT provider Iskratel, which only last year opened a new branch in the United Kingdom to supply ISPs (e.g. Zzoomm) deploying Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband networks with various types of optical fibre kit, today claims to have unveiled the “world’s fastest” Passive Optical Network (PON) Optical Line Terminals (OLT). Premises covered by a full fibre […]