REICHLE & DE-MASSARI MARKET TRENDS IN 2023
In 2023, convergence will remain key. Wireless and wired connectivity continue to merge, utilising a fibre backbone. Service providers will keep looking for ways of reducing operating costs, for example by reusing infrastructure in smart ways. FTTH and 5G can share infrastructure as both rely on availability of fibre, and require a significant number of fibre connection points. Once 5G is widely available, people will use more streaming and remote working services on the go, as well as more virtual and augmented reality applications. Combining infrastructure and rollouts for both technologies offers great opportunities to boost efficiency and realise cost improvements. FTTX & DATA CENTRE TRENDS IN 2023 DEMAND, CONVERGING MARKETS AND TECH DRIVE FTTX
TRENDS FOR 2023 IN FTTX AND DATA CENTRE CONNECTIVITY Clearly, FTTH is no longer necessarily the only driver for fibre rollouts, write Christen Hermann , Business Development Manager, and Daniel Eigenmann , Product Manager at Reichle & De-Massari. Smart city infrastructure with countless IP-equipped devices will become an increasingly significant driver. Increasingly, fibre is also required to support 5G macrocell, small cell, and antenna tower infrastructure. 6G is on the horizon and the Wi-Fi 7 standard will be published in 2024. Other technology drivers that will boost demand in homes and professional environments include 4K to 8K video, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and cloud computing.
public areas, existing masts are normally used, often shared by several providers. However, this approach is more prone to operational accidents, resulting in downtime. Other challenges which can be taken into account at early stages of planning: • Capacity on site: how much space is available on the masts and can they withstand the strain of additional cables and connection boxes? • Required spans and mounting heights: To what extent may cables sag without being in danger of coming into contact with vehicles? • Demands from neighbours and local regulations: to what extent must the appearance of the environment be taken into account?
areas remains slow. Planning permission and civil works may also be easier. This requires field-proven pre-terminated solutions which don’t require special tools or training. Aerial cables for the construction of FTTH networks in remote locations need to be specified precisely and attention must be paid to the installation environment and climatic conditions throughout the year. There’s a trend towards moving away from splicing loose tube cables in the field towards using pre-terminated drop cables. These are particularly suitable for connections from the last distribution points to connection boxes on buildings. Weight and diameter of aerial drop cables must be minimal. Aerial cables for FTTH connectivity in rural areas should not be over-dimensioned or over- designed. A ‘one size fits all’ solutions is not recommended. It is also not advisable to simply define individually required aerial drop cables from a catalogue or online shop. Relevant parameters such as the load levels could be overlooked. If cabling is in
AERIAL DEPLOYMENT WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT FOR FTTH.
HARSH ENVIRONMENT CONNECTORS
Unrestricted use of high data rates via fibre optics in the most demanding operating environments is made possible by Harsh Environment Connector (HEC) concepts. These protect sensitive fibres
A potential 2.5x faster rollout speed helps keep down deployment costs in today’s environment in which skilled labour is lacking and investment in rural
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| ISSUE 32 | Q1 2023
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