wiredinUSA March 2014

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wiredInUSA - March 2014 63
Low-cost multi-fiber connector
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd and Furukawa
Electric Co Ltd have collaborated
to develop a new multi-fiber optical
connector to join and align multiple optical
fibers for optical interconnects.
The conventional method of connecting
optical fibers is an expensive process,
requiring high-precision polishing to align
the tips of the fibers. Fujitsu Laboratories
and Furukawa Electric have developed
a connector that can accommodate
different lengths of optical fiber and which,
with a spring mechanism that obviates the
need for the polishing process, will cut the
costs of connecting optical fibers by a half.
This new connector is said to achieve
performance on a par with conventional
connectors while simplifying the task
of installing high capacity optical
interconnects. It is anticipated that the
technology will increase data transmission
speed between boards, so increasing
overall server performance.
High-speed copper?
Korea’s KT Corporation has developed a
technology to enable copper telephone
cables to provide Internet service at
speeds “never before accomplished”.
The company exhibited its technology
during the Mobile World Congress at the
end of February.
Many old buildings still use copper
telephone cables with optical cable or
unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables to
provide an Internet service, but services
through copper wire using VDSL (very high
bit-rate DSL) are limited to 100Mbps.
KT has announced its FTTH-G solution, said
to provide a two-way service of at least
200Mbps using a pair of telephone lines. KT
said download speeds can be much faster
than 200Mbps. For example, download
speed can be 300Mbps if the upload
speed is reduced to 100Mbps.
Models show KT’s FTTH-G technology at the company’s
booth during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Photograph courtesy of KT
KT’s FTTH-G solution saves building owners
the cost of replacing copper wires with
more advanced cables, the company
said, and it will run a pilot project for the
technology in some older apartment
buildings in Gangnam district to
demonstrate the service.
“We will further enhance FTTH-G and
create a technology that provides at least
300Mbps Internet speed next year,” said a
KT official. “We will utilize various types of
wires and enable old buildings to provide
Internet at gigabytes-per-second speeds.”