FibreCo Telecommunications utilizes Corning fiber in open access network
Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) reveals that South African open-access network provider FibreCo Telecommunications is deploying Corning optical fiber in a new high-speed, long-distance fiber-optic network in South Africa.
Construction of the FibreCo network began in April, and the first link is expected to be completed in 2013. The cable contains both Corning SMF-28e+ LL and LEAF fibers. Phase 1 of the roll out includes a 2,000-km link between Johannesburg and Cape Town that also connects Bloemfontein, East London, and Port Elizabeth. The project’s total distance will cover 12,000 km.
ZTE received the contract for the construction of FibreCo’s network and supply of equipment.
“We are excited to utilize Corning optical fiber for our project,” said Arif Hussain, FibreCo CEO. “Many submarine optical cables now connect South Africa to the rest of the world, and a significant increase in terrestrial fiber capacity supply is required. Our network will provide the necessary high-speed capacity in South Africa as well as the ability for our customers to easily upgrade their networks to higher data rates without the need to re-install fiber.”
This is the first deployment of SMF-28e+ LL fiber in South Africa. SMF-28e+ LL is designed to offer low attenuation values and low polarization mode dispersion (PMD) with ITU G.652.D-compliant performance for longer spans and reach. Also, SMF-28e+ LL fiber enables more repair margin, Corning asserts. LEAF, meanwhile, is the most widely deployed, non-zero dispersion shifted fiber in the world, the company says. It also has lowest attenuation and largest effective area of any ITU-T G.655-compatible optical fiber, Corning claims.