wiredInUSA November 2017

Island nation set for connectivity

Meeting increased demand

Optical fiber manufacturers are increasing production capacity to keep pace with increasing fiber demand. The latest increase comes from Furukawa Electric, which plans to nearly double its 2016 optical fiber manufacturing capacity by 2019 and to increase its optical cable manufacturing capacity through the operations of its wholly owned subsidiary, OFS. “The proliferation of hyperscale and edge data centers, 5G wireless, and fiber-to-the- home, along with the greater digitization of communications in business, are creating the need for fiber in the network around the world,” said Timothy F Murray, head of the global optical fiber and cable business of Furukawa Electric and CEO of OFS. Furukawa Electric increased its global fiber production capacity by 20 percent between 2014 and 2016, and expects to achieve a further 20 percent increase by 2018, together with board approval for $150 million of additional spending for further expansion in the US and Europe.

Huawei Marine is to help PapuaNewGuinea (PNG) to develop a national broadband transmission network to meet the increasing demand for internet connectivity and foster social and economic development across the country. The island nation of Papua New Guinea largely relies on satellite and microwave communications. Huawei Marine and PNG DataCo Ltd, a telecommunications carrier established by the PNG government, will construct a national submarine cable network to provide the backbone telecommunications needed by major coastal centers and islands in Papua New Guinea. At 5,457km in length, the submarine cable network will provide domestic connectivity across 14 main population centers, and international connectivity in Indonesia via a link to Jayapura. The design capacity of 8Tbps is expected to cater for increased bandwidth demand over the next 10 to 15 years. When completed, the network should cover 55 percent of the population and provide more than 70 percent of PNG’s domestic bandwidth requirements.

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wiredInUSA - November 2017