Category: Fiber

CenturyLink Expands Fiber Network Across U.S. and Europe

As customer demand for extreme high-capacity, low-latency data transport continues to grow, CenturyLink is expanding the company’s intercity network by adding 4.7 million miles of Corning fiber, making it the largest ultra-low-loss fiber network in North America. The first phase of this overbuild fiber network, completed in June, connects more than 50 major cities throughout the U.S.

Installation practices for extreme high density fiber cabling

With hyperscale data centers driving the need for extreme high density fiber cabling, the market has responded with new products that pack up to 3,456 fibers into a single cable. Such density affects the installation of these cables. This article overviews some of the high-density fiber-optic cables available today and their suppliers’ comments and recommendations regarding installation practices.

D.C.’s The Wharf uses PON to Update Services

Vision Technologies designed, installed, and commissioned a unified WiFi and passive optical network (PON) system for The Wharf, a mile-long, 24-acre, $2.5-billion mixed-use development along the Potomac River in Washington D.C. The system provides state-of-the-art, pervasive 802.11ac wireless service to residents, workers, and guests traversing the outdoor, garage, and 6000-person indoor-concert-venue areas. The entire implementation, testing, and commissioning was accomplished on a fast-track 30-day schedule.

Supporting multi-gigabit wireless LAN systems

The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to penetrate the market, with an abundance of smart devices that are saturating networks. Among the evolution of smart devices, new technologies also have become available for transporting countless forms of information. Communications protocols, applications, and IP-enabled devices are using technologies such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi, small cells, in-building distributed antenna systems, wired LANs, AV sensors, and emerging Light Fidelity (LiFi) technology. It is important that the design and provisioning of the wired and wireless infrastructure be able to accommodate present and future systems and applications.

I’m an Engineer, and I’m Not Buying Into ‘Smart’ Cities – The New York Times

Like a classroom full of overachieving students, cities around the world are racing to declare themselves “smart” — using sensors, data and ubiquitous cameras to make themselves more efficient, safe and sustainable. Smart cities make two fundamental promises: lots of data, and automated decision making based on that data. But there is a more basic concern when it comes to smart cities: They will be exceedingly complex to manage, with all sorts of unpredictable vulnerabilities. There will always be a place for new technology in our urban infrastructure, but we may find that often, “dumb” cities will do better than smart ones.