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By cableunion, February 29, 2012 6:21 pm

The newly unveiled advanced burst-mode architecture for XG-PON1 Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) applications from Vitesse is supposed to enable mass deployment of fiber-to-the-home systems and also allow OEMs and vendors to raise the volume of production of XG-PON1 systems.

Asymmetric 10G-PON (XG-PON1) is supposed to be a computer networking standard for data links, capable of delivering shared Internet access of 10 Gbit/s downstream and 2.5 Gbit/s upstream data rates. The new Vitesse advanced XG-PON1 OLT receiver chipset is comprised of the company’s VSC7719 transimpedance amplifier (TIA (News – Alert)) and VSC7729 post amplifier and is claimed to have the necessary features to exceed the XG-PON1 standard.

Vitesse explained that the new PON PRO architecture’s integrated chip reset and monitor features does not require any external components to support burst mode operation and it is targeted at next-generation XG-PON1 applications in IP Edge networks.

The VSC7719 transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and VSC7729 post amplifier (PA) together form a complete OLT optical receiver chipset solution for 10 Gigabit passive optical networks (XG-PON) exceeding the chipset exceeds XG-PON1 requirements with better than -33 dBm (News – Alert) APD sensitivity at pre-FEC BER threshold of 10-4.

Some of the notable features of the new architecture are: burst average received power monitor; reset through the high-speed data interface; fast settling time; differential data ready output; selectable LVPECL or LVCML outputs; auto-squelching for eliminating random noise during long guard times; and more.

“Today’s XG-PON1 solutions are mostly discrete, requiring several components, and face space constraints and performance challenges that cannot be supported in volume production. Our new PON PRO architecture solves builds on Vitesse’s technology to solve these challenges and advance Ethernet throughout IP Edge networks. With its high degree of integration and burst-mode capabilities, Vitesse’s solution can be used in industry-standard SFP modules, making it easy to support our customers ramping production of their XG-PON1 systems,” claimed Aditi Vaghashia, product marketing at Vitesse, in a press release.

In other news, Vitesse recently announced its latest laser and modulator driver, the VSC7982-40. Targeted at high bandwidth applications in SONET, Ethernet, and Fiber Channel networks, the four-channel device can support emerging 40G and 100G optical networks, ideal as building blocks for service providers upgrading networks to offer premium data services to subscribers.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

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By cableunion, February 29, 2012 1:55 pm

It may take a full three weeks to repair a submerged Internet cable that was damaged recently by an anchor in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, according to news reports. The damaged cable has led to major delays in Internet service provided to Kenya and nearby nations.

The BBC reported that Internet connections are running 20 percent slower in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Sudan’s capital, Juba.

The 3,000-mile cable reaches from Mombasa to the United Arab Emirates, and it was installed in 2008 and 2009. It cost $130 million to build, and is owned by The East African Marine System (TEAMS). To give an idea of the importance of three underwater cables, the number of Internet subscriptions in Kenya increased from 1.8 million to 3.1 million in the year after the cables were installed, according to The BBC.

As of early this week, about 10 percent of the cable was working which allowed for the cable to be used for “crucial services such as banking,” says the AFP News Agency. The BBC reports that Internet providers and mobile phone operators were re-routed to other infrastructure which escaped damage by the dropped anchor.

In comments made to The Guardian, Toby Shapshak, editor of Stuff magazine in South Africa, said that, “This reveals how fragile the physical infrastructure for Africa’s internet access is. Because of the distances involved, the primary connections, in the main, are undersea cables which can be easily disrupted by a careless anchor.”

“But it does show there has been progress in African connectivity,” he added. “Losing 20 percent of East Africa’s connectivity is a lot better than losing all of it, as would’ve been the case had this happened a few years ago.”

TEAMS is partly owned by the Kenyan government, according to a report carried on TMCnet.

In a related matter, on Feb. 17 another ship’s anchor cut the cables of Eassy, a group of telecom companies. The accident took place in the Red Sea, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

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By admin, February 29, 2012 10:52 am

Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012

Superior Essex Energy Inc., a division of Superior Essex Inc., has begun commercial production of its first product offering of low voltage energy cables. The initial product portfolio includes low voltage 300V and 600V instrumentation cables for control systems, audio, intercoms, energy management, and alarm controls and low voltage 600V control cables for industrial, utility power, or station control circuits. This first energy product line encompasses 18 AWG through 10 AWG and multiple combinations of insulation and jacket materials, including PVC/PVC, PVC/Nylon/PVC, PE/PVC/PVC, and XLPE/PVC.

“Through our energy cable product line, we are committed to helping our customers achieve their objectives and enhance their overall business by combining our tradition of excellent product value with superior customer service. This initial product launch is only the beginning of a plan to be a full line supplier to the energy market,” states Lindsay Allen, Vice President of Marketing.

The Tarboro, NC manufacturing location for these new products is ISO 9001:2008 registered and is utilizing state-of-the-art equipment for cable production. Customers of Superior Essex Energy Inc. will also benefit from a flexible manufacturing process that provides short lead times for made-to-order products.

Superior Essex is expanding on the success of LS Cable & System, a worldwide leader in the global power cable market, to become a producer for the energy industry in North America. Superior Essex Energy Inc. is the company’s first North American location to manufacture and commercialize power cable products for this industry. With a new 250,000 square foot energy cable facility in Tarboro, NC, Superior Essex Energy Inc. is planning to supply a complete range of cable products to meet the needs of Commercial, Industrial, and Energy markets.

For more information, go to SuperiorEssex.com/Energy.

About Superior Essex Superior Essex Inc. manufactures a broad portfolio of wire and cable products and accessories with primary applications in communications, magnet wire/winding wire, energy and related distribution markets. It is a leading manufacturer and supplier of copper and fiber optic communication wire and cable products and accessories to telephone companies, distributors, and system integrators. It is a premier manufacturer and distributor of magnet wire/winding wire (including related enamel coating materials) and fabricated insulation products to major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for use in motors, transformers, generators, and electrical controls and a distributor of insulation and related products to smaller OEMs and motor repair facilities. It also offers low voltage, energy efficient cable products to service the Commercial, Industrial, and Utility markets for control systems, audio, intercoms, energy management, and alarm controls.

Source: Superior Essex

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By admin, February 29, 2012 8:57 am

Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012

Effective April 1st, 2012, Dow Electrical & Telecommunications (Dow E&T) will increase the prices of its products. The detail for grades in the US and Canada is as follows:

All Low and Medium Voltage Insulation Compounds will increase $0.11 per pound.

All Power and Telecom Jacketing Grades will increase $0.11 per pound.

All Semicon and Shield Compounds will increase $0.17 per pound.

All Specialties including our UNIGARDâ„¢ and UNIPURGEâ„¢ product lines will increase at least $0.17 per pound.

All other grades not included in the above categories will increase by $0.11 per pound.

Customers have been informed of this necessary action. Further details are being communicated to customers by local Dow E&T account executives.

Source: DOW

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By admin, February 29, 2012 5:49 am

Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012

Nexans, a worldwide leading expert in the cable industry, has been awarded a contract by Tata Power’s Strategic Electronics Division (Tata Power SED), India, amounting to approximately 5 million euro to supply specialized medium voltage (MV) primary and low voltage (LV) secondary airfield lighting cables for the Indian Air Force’s ‘Modernization of the Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI)’ project. The four-year contract covers the supply several thousands of cables to upgrade the runway and taxiway lighting power circuits for 30 Indian Air Force (IAF) bases throughout India.

The MAFI project is focused on modernising the infrastructure of IAF bases where the runways need to be upgraded and are not capable of handling the new array of military aircraft set to enter service. The project aims to upgrade all IAF bases with state of the art equipment and systems to provide the capability to handle all types of modern military aircraft.

Primary and secondary cables

Nexans is supplying both primary and secondary cables for the MAFI project. This includes 5 kV cables manufactured according to FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) standards that will be used to form the main backbone of the airfield lighting power series circuits. In addition, 600 V secondary cables that meet the H07RN-F standard will also be used to provide the short spur links that connect the main power network to the individual airfield lights.

The Nexans airfield cables are designed to withstand extreme temperatures from -25° to +70°C, so they are ideally suited for use in this application where the typical runway temperatures will range from 0°C to +40°C. A further vital technical consideration was the capability of the cables to ensure total reliability and a long service life in extremely humid conditions.

The MAFI cables will be manufactured in Nexans’ Lyon and Bohain factories in France. Since the upgrading work at many of the 30 air bases is taking place simultaneously, a high level of logistical planning is required to ensure on-time delivery to each site, and this will be coordinated by Nexans’ local facilities in Delhi, India.

‘The key factor in winning this contract was that Tata Power SED was seeking an experienced  supplier with the proven capability to provide a high level of locally-based technical support to ensure the correct choice of cables for this demanding airfield lighting application’, says Olivier PINTO, in charge of business development for airfield lighting cables at Nexans . ‘Another element in our favour is that we have developed a long-standing relationship with the Tata Group on previous projects combined with an excellent recent track-record in delivering cables for civil airport projects in India at Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.’

Source: Nexans

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By cableunion, February 28, 2012 6:56 pm

The island nation of Malta has announced plans to roll out Fiber to the Home (FTTH).

The move comes after a feasibility study from Analysis Mason commissioned by the government. Cooperating with the government, the company researched the technical and economic challenges involved in rolling out next-generation broadband to the tiny country. Analysis Mason interviewed various stakeholders during the project.

The government has issued a call for Expressions Of Interest (EOI), allowing interested parties to offer bids on contracts to build the network, with the contracts going to the lowest bidders.

“These stakeholders contributed to an informed and balanced understanding of the Maltese market, the local processes for building a national FTTH network and the level of existing assets that could be used in its development,” Pat Kidney, Senior Manager at Analysys (News – Alert) Mason said.

The move is part of Malta’s attempt to follow EU guidelines for having a next-generationbroadband network capable of 100 Mbit/s throughput by the year 2020. The European Commission has sought $13 billion for building broadband networks across the European Union.

Analysys Mason studied exchange areas and local costs to tailor their plan to the country’s unique topography and geography.

“We then analyzed a number of possible scenarios to understand which of them would best achieve the government’s objectives. The selected scenarios were used to build financial and economic models, and the outputs were captured in the study report,” Kidney said.

The government recognizes the costs of building the network and is willing to intervene if necessary. “Intervention by the government will aim to ensure that wholesale access to the network is available to all market players, in order to foster healthy retail competition. An appropriate range of wholesale products will therefore be required to enable service providers to differentiate themselves from each other,” Kidney said.

The government of Malta is considering differing models of operating the network.

The first is a private method, with the government funding the development, but having no role in owning or operating the network. The other model is a joint venture, with the government and private companies splitting the duties of managing the network.

Edited by Rich Steeves

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By admin, February 28, 2012 5:16 am

Tuesday, Feb 28, 2012

Taihan Electric Wire Co., South Korea’s No. 2 cable maker, said Sunday that it has clinched a combined US$48.5 million in orders to build power lines in Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Click here for full article on Qatar News Agency