Alcatel's New Innovative Optical Fiber Reduces Network Operation Costs
Enhanced Single Mode Optical Fiber Adds 30 percent More Capacity And Extends Transmission Reach
DALLAS, November 16, 2001 -- Alcatel (NYSE: ALA), a world leader in intelligent optical networking, today announced the availability of a new optical fiber for use in telecommunication applications. The enhanced single mode fiber (E-SMF), available today, will reduce ongoing costs for network operators by adding about a third more wavelengths to the usable spectrum and extending transmission reach by 50 percent.
Alcatel's E-SMF advancements focus on reducing the fiber's attenuation, or signal loss. In key operating wavelengths, the maximum attenuation is decreased, thereby creating important network efficiencies and reducing operating costs. In an additional operating range, the reduction is even greater and results in the availability of more bandwidth on a given fiber. The lower attenuation enables economical means for additional bandwidth on Alcatel's new fiber, and the ability to span longer distances without signal regeneration.
The improved polarization mode dispersion (PMD) capabilities of Alcatel's E-SMF can increase the usable system distance by more than half. PMD is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon that has a critical impact on system operation at very high data transmission rates or long distances. The advancements found in Alcatel's E-SMF enables operation of the fiber in additional frequency bands, and improves performance at high data rates (above 10 Gbit/s), and over longer distances.
"The innovations in our new enhanced single mode fiber, E-SMF, will provide network operators with significant flexibility and outstanding performance," said Bernard Le Mouël, chief technology officer of Alcatel's Optics Group. "As networks and applications evolve, this fiber will enable cost effective growth and options previously unavailable with standard single mode products."
Innovations in Alcatel's manufacturing process have also resulted in superior aging performance, greatly increasing the reliability and potential life span of the fiber. For operators of SMF-based network infrastructures, this enhanced fiber is the ideal choice, enabling lowest cost per available bit and greatest flexibility.
More about Alcatel's E-SMF Compliant with the stringent standards of ITU's G.652 table C, Alcatel's E-SMF leads the industry in the system-affecting parameters such as attenuation, PMD, and Raman amplification efficiency. Alcatel's E-SMF offers a twelve percent improvement in attenuation at key operating wavelengths, cutting network costs and complexity. Given its attenuation performance in the E frequency band (1350-1450nm),Alcatel's E-SMF adds about 30 percent more wavelengths available for use on a single fiber, significantly reducing network deployment costs. E-SMF's performance in the E band makes it ideal for access and metropolitan network architectures using the economical coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) strategy. For more details on Alcatel's E-SMF and other fiber products, visit http://www.alcatel.com/opticalfiber/products/fiber.htm
About Alcatel
Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data networking solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 110,000 employees and sales of EURO 31 billion in 2000, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information http://www.alcatel.com.