SFP+ Cable Distances defined by Core Size and Band Width

Did you know a standard SFP+ SR supports a link length of only 26m on standard Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)-grade multimode fiber (MMF). Using 2000MHz*km MMF (OM3), links up to 300m link lengths are possible. Using 4700MHz*km MMF (OM4), up to 400m link lengths are actually possible.

Distances of MM SFP+ 10G SR's

Core Size (Microns) 62.5 62.5 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0

Modal Bandwidth (MHz*km)*** 160 (FDDI) 200 (OM1) 400 500 (OM2) 2000 (OM3) 4700 (OM4)

Cable Distance 26m 33m 66m 82m 300m 400m

Distances of LRM's

62.5 50.0 50.0 G.652

500 400 500 -

220m 100m 220m 300m

Profits Look Rocky In Quarter 3

The third quarter has many businesses in a bit of a slump as far as profits are concerned.  Calix, a major supplier in the telecommunication equipment industry, was one of these businesses.  The company released a statement earlier this month showing a significant decrease in revenue by 2.8% from this time last year.  It wasn’t all bad news for Calix though.  President Carl Russo pointed out that revenue might be down, but there is still growth compared to the last quarter. 

Calix isn’t the only company that has seen major losses going into the third quarter.  Applied Micro Circuits Corporation joins the group of companies struggling with revenue.  The optical communications and computer data storage company released a detailed financial report with losses clearly stated at a 33% drop in profit from last year.   Applied Micro faces a tough year ahead.

Despite difficulties for the above mentioned corporations, there is one company now on the rise.  Comcast Corp. made the choice to serve businesses that employed more than twenty individuals.  By moving up-market and serving larger companies, Comcast has seen a sizeable increase in revenue.  The Vice Chairman and CFO reported earnings of over ninety million alone from these mid-sized companies, or about fifteen percent of the total revenue produced by business service customers. Overall Comcast has seen a thirty four percent rise in business services revenue. With profits steadily rising, Comcast is poised to make record profits by year's end. 

-The Approved Optics Team

House Intelligence Committee on Oversees Sellers

Earlier this week the U.S. House Intelligence Committee released a detailed report warning U.S. companies against Huawei and ZTE. Reuters and other news sources reported that these two companies have been classified as potential threats to U.S. security due to their close ties with the Chinese government. Companies that had used Huawei equipment reported allegations of unexpected behavior, including routers allegedly sending data to China late at night. While the committee did not go as far as banning the companies, it did urge American businesses to avoid Huawei and ZTE in their telecommunication projects. This new report has made it even more difficult for the two companies to expand in the U.S. market. 

The biggest concern brought to light by the committee, as outlined in the report, was that allowing Chinese organizations access to the telecommunications networks in the U.S. could compromise the nation’s infrastructure. A key part of the report was that the country’s infrastructure is highly interconnected and includes everything from rail networks to water systems. The report indicated that a disruption in one could have a ripple effect that could compromise many others. 

"Throughout the months-long investigation, both Huawei and ZTE sought to describe, in different terms, why neither company is a threat to U.S. national-security interests. Unfortunately, neither ZTE nor Huawei have cooperated fully with the investigation, and both companies have failed to provide documents or other evidence that would substantiate their claims or lend support for their narratives," "Huawei, in particular, provided evasive, nonresponsive, or incomplete answers to questions at the heart of the security issues posed. The failure of these companies to provide responsive answers about their relationships with and support by the Chinese government provides further doubt as to their ability to abide by international rules," stated the report.

-The Approved Team

From Neighborhoods to Fiberhoods

The FTTH Council convened in Dallas on Monday to update the community on the progress of fiber-to-the-home networks all across North America. Their report emphasizes running fiber directly to individual homes, so FTTC (fiber-to-the-curb) and FTTN (fiber-to-the-node) were not represented in the report. The findings of the report indicated a very bright future for the fiber optics industry in this country and North America as a whole. Though, this information should come as no surprise to those in the field as the need for products and services in the fiber optics world have been steadily increasing over the last decade.

With nearly nine million homes already connected, up from around six million in 2010, growth in this sector seems poised to make large bounds. An estimated 24 million homes passed (homes passed being the number of homes where a fiber connection is available, such as a homeowner with a pre-existing connection, or that could call and order a connection) have shown a gain of about ten percent in the last six months alone.

Reasons for this growth could be that many larger companies have come aboard the fiber train, chief amongst them Verizon and its Fios internet. Google as well has stepped into the scene with its fiber network as it is now finally being deployed in Kansas City, and AT&T is increasing the number of homes being developed with FTTH compatibility. Although, it would be negligent not to mention the contribution smaller companies are making to get both current and future residences fiber ready. While these companies are making some rather remarkable strides, one has to remember that in the grand scheme of things this technology is still a fledgling one compared to the infrastructure of other communication technologies. Nonetheless, it is one that has and will continue to show growth in North America and across the globe.

According to the president of RVA LLC (the market research firm in charge of tracking FTTH data for the council), Michael Render, it was revealed that the number of parties interested in FTTH services had risen to 44% in the US alone. Statistics such as this strongly imply a positive trend for the community. As the rise in companies and organizations interested in fiber optics grows, so too will demand for high quality components for the industry. Knowing this, we here at Approved Optics have taken the steps necessary to provide quality products to this industry.

Approved Optics is a company fully prepared to fulfill the needs that this growing market demands. With an emphasis on quality, Approved tests all of its products and includes a lifetime warranty for your peace of mind. Fiber to the home will one day be as commonplace as copper wiring is today. While the execution of such a monumental task may seem daunting, it is a necessary step towards progress, progress that Approved Optics is proud to be a part of.

-The Approved Optics Team

100G Coming to the Forefront

The European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC) came to a close a few days ago. In its wake it leaves a bounty of information for what's to come in the world of communications. As the biggest European event on optical communications it is a hub for those in the fiberoptics technology industry.

Some of the biggest highlights this year came in the form of 100G modules and companies like JDSU and Oclaro rushing to get these news modules out on the market. This comes as good news for companies looking to meet the demands of a world demanding faster and more efficient communication.

Sunset Digital is one such company that hopes to make use of 100G technology. The company seeks to create a backbone out in Tennessee, one that will serve to bring broadband services to those in more rural and impoverished areas. With the aid of a 24 million dollar award from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Sunset Digital is able to move forward with these plans.

To meet these ends, Sunset has brought in the services of Ciena Corp. and had them deal with the logistics of the operation. It hopes that they will be able to service delivery, service visualization, and monitor the network as a whole during the transition.

-The Approved Optics Team

Up on Optics

The private sector takes another giant leap into space with Laser Light Communication’s plan to launch a new OSS (optical satellite system).  The new satellite network is expected to be up and fully operational by the middle of 2017.  Laser Light believes its network to be amongst the first of its kind, a system compromised entirely on optical wave technology independent of the need to communicate with the use of radio waves.  The company stated that it wishes to link its system with the global fiber network enabling them to have a coalesced fiber network.  This network would allow for unseen levels of coverage surpassing any system of its kind.

UTEL is planning to release a new product that will revolutionize the way problems are solved in passive optical networks.  The UK based research and development lab dubbed its new product Fast Light, the hope is that this new technology would allow service providers to detect and repair any problems that may arise within its systems both rapidly and efficiently as Lightwave indicates.  Not only does Fast Light have the ability to detect problems within a system, the product also runs tests and fixes issues within the network before customers even have an indication of a problem arising.

Earlier this week Google announced they were ready to move forward with their plans to bring Kansas City to the forefront of internet services.  Google Fiber, as it was deemed, seeks to bring the internet to as many people as possible as its primary goal.  This being Google of course, it hopes to outdo the competition by providing internet that is up to 100 times faster than the average broadband services available today.  So fervent are Google’s ambitions to bring internet for the masses that they are evening offering packages for free internet services at the mere cost of a construction fee.  They’ve also been setting up events for locals in Kansas City as a means of educating those less inclined to venture into the online world on the advantages a service like this could provide for them and the relevancy of the internet in today’s world.  Such an ostentatious plan might seem overwhelming to some, but Google’s track record speaks for itself.  Let’s just hope their foray into the world of ISPs isn’t a repeat of their foray into the social media department.

Affordable high powered internet in every home, self repairing fiber optic cables, and a satellite network enabling a greater connection for millions; we live in the future.

-The Approved Optics Team

Cisco’s WARNING – Error Message Shows Customer is Protected

The Cisco Customer’s Chassis and Smart Net service level is protected by the anti-Monopolistic Magnusson-Moss Act when 3^rd party optics are installed (as is the case with all platforms, not just Cisco).  Let’s look closer at what their legal department carefully conveys when a non-Cisco optic is detected in the chassis.  (It is important to know that this below message does not come up when our optics are installed because Approved Optics are plug and no error message).
The below ‘warning” unsupported-transceiver message shows that Cisco is VERY AWARE of the Magnusson-Moss Act protection on the chassis, and they are careful not to deny service based on a working 3^rd party Transceiver or they can be sued!

 Warning: When Cisco determines that a fault or defect can be traced to
 the use of third-party transceivers installed by a customer or reseller,
 then, at Cisco’s discretion, Cisco may withhold support under warranty or
 a Cisco support program. In the course of providing support for a Cisco
 networking product Cisco may require that the end user install Cisco
 transceivers if Cisco determines that removing third-party parts will
 assist Cisco in diagnosing the cause of a support issue.

The above language is used to confuse and intimidate an engineer who is not clear on their warranty rights.   As you can see, Cisco is claiming they will require a Cisco transceiver or “may” withhold support ONLY when it is determined that a fault or defect can be traced to the 3rd party transceiver.  This means that the transceiver MUST BE FAULTY (and they must prove it), otherwise they CANNOT lower their service level on any part of the chassis or OS if there is a working 3^rd party optic in the port.   They can ONLY suggest original replacement if the part is NOT FUNCTIONING.  What most engineers realize is that the antidote to a non-functioning 3^rd party optic is the same antidote to a non-functioning original Cisco optic, simply pop another one in.
So to summarize, in a TAC scenario, if the customer has an original Cisco transceiver installed and it degrades or falters, the Cisco support professional will suggest that the customer replace it.  If the same thing happens with a 3^rd party optic, and they can determine that the optic is faltering, they ‘may’ require the end user to replace the part.  Again, this is the same thing they would do if it was a Cisco branded part.   When the customer simply replaces the faltering optic with a working optic, CISCO CANNOT DENY ANY SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE SERVICE OR THEY ARE LEGALLY LIABLE.
What our customers have realized is that the lowest common denominator to saving 10’s of $1000’s of dollars on optics, comes down to the fact that if an optic is failing, whether it’s Cisco or 3^rd, the antidote to insuring TAC service on the chassis is to simply replace the failed optic with a spare.  Customers have been doing this for years.  It is the exact same process and nothing has to be changed.
You will also find that although Cisco Sales Reps and Engineers will verbally warn someone from saving money on optics and sight the ‘smartnet risk’ with doing so, they will never put it in writing, otherwise Cisco could be sued.  You will also find that Cisco support professionals will never mandate the replacement of 3^rd party optic in writing when they are not absolutely sure it’s the optic, because this also opens them up for liability.  If the optic is bad, Cisco original or 3^rd, the antidote is the same, simply replace it.  Most of our customers don’t bother keeping a Cisco original spare around.  The Magnusson-Moss covers the spar that is used as well.