Good Forecasts for Global Optical Fiber Cable Market

An optical fiber cable uses light wave for voice and data transmission, its data transmission capacity is 4.5 times more than conventional copper cables. So in the past several decades, we have seen that fiber optic cables are superior to traditional copper twisted-pair cable or coaxial cable because of its unique physical characteristics, allowing information to travel at speeds increasingly approaching the speed of light without interference between adjacent wavelengths. In leading market, the global drive to implement FTTx into more new venues is good news for the market of optical fiber cables. Another good trend is that the price erosion of optical fiber cables had been 10 to 15 percent annually, in result that the demand of optical fiber cable is expected to continue growing in the foreseeable future. And the growing data transmission workloads placed by high-performance computers, servers and network storage systems is helping spur growth in the market. Consequently, fiber optic cables are now the indispensable backbone of today’s communication network. This article will analyse the global optical fiber cable market in three main applications, including long-distance communication, submarine cable and FTTx network.

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Global Optical Fiber Cable Market to Grow at 9.8% till 2021

According to the report “Fiber Optics Market by Cable – Global Forecast to 2021”, the optical fiber cable market is anticipate to grow at a CAGR of over 9.8% during 2016-2021. The growing importance of cloud computing, data transfer & storage, and IoT is driving the use of Internet, which is driving the fiber optic cable market, as it acts as the backbone for data transmission. Moreover, growing technological advancements increase in number of connected devices and data centers are expected to positively influence global optical fiber cable market. In addition, next generation technologies such as LTE and FTTx, which require last mile connectivity, is expected to propel the demand for optical fiber cables in the coming years. All these factors have led to an increase in Internet users, which in turn has led to the higher usage of optical fiber cable to transfer information over the Internet, thus driving the fiber optics market.

Global Optical Fiber Cable Market

Global Optical Fiber Cable Demand from 2012 to 2018 (Source: Statista)

Optical Fiber Cable Market in Long-distance Communication

Currently, the growing adoption of optical technology in the telecommunications appears to be promising. Optical fiber has virtually unlimited capacity and low signal attenuation allowing long distances without amplifier or repeater, no exposure to parasite signals or crosstalk, and no electromagnetic interference (EMI). So fiber optic cable is especially advantageous for high-speed data transfer services in long-distance communications over electrical cabling. Furthermore, the increasing cloud-based applications, audio-video services, and Video-on-Demand (VoD) services further stimulate the demand for optical fiber cable installations.

Growing Need for Capacity

Growing Need for Capacity (Source: Goldmedia)

Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market

Submarine optical fiber cables are undersea cables used for carrying data across interconnected networks between continents. With the advancements of technology, most of the submarine optical fiber cables that currently form the backbone of the Internet connect the U.S. to Europe and Asia by crossing the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. Instead, there is a proposal for deployment of Trans-polar submarine cable system in Arctic Ocean. Laying an undersea fiber optic cable is meant to connect Asia and Europe by crossing the Arctic Circle – the shortest practical distance yet for Internet signals traveling between the two continents. According to the report by Global Industry Analysts (GIA), cumulative installations of submarine optical fiber cables globally are projected to reach 2 million kilometers by 2020, driven by the growing demand for fiber broadband and the ensuing deployment of fiber optic cables in the Internet backbone. Presently, submarine optical fiber cables transmit 100% of the international Internet traffic, and more than 95% of the world’s combined data and voice traffic.

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Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market (Source: Technavio)

Optical Fiber Cable Market in FTTx Networks

In recent years, the market for optical fiber cable has shifted dramatically to local deployments, away from long haul and regional. This is the impact of FTTx, which calls for far more dense applications in neighborhoods, cities and other highly focused areas. Optical fiber cable is being caught up in the global move to broadband in the near future. The next generation of high bandwidth applications, along with the proliferation of connected devices, is expected to require faster and higher bandwidth networks which will require the use of multimode fiber cable for data transfer. This growth in the FTTx networks in turn is expected to drive the fiber optics market. Future Market Insights (FMI) forecasts the global fiber to the home (FTTH) market’s value will grow from $9.5 billion in 2017 to more than $37 billion by the end of 2027, a 14.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). In the leading Asian economies, more than 44% of all homes and buildings are already directly connected to the fiber optic cable network; in North America penetration is 8.4%, in Europe 5.6%.

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Final Thought

Fiber optic cable is widely used for data transmission and is increasingly being used in place of metal wires because of its efficiency and high transmission capacity. Since the use and demand for great bandwidth and fast speed, there is no doubt that fiber optic transmission will bring more opportunities and be continuously researched and expanded to cater for future demands. However, although fiber optic cable in itself is considered a long-term stable investment, it also faces huge challenge. The major restraint in the fiber optics market is the growing use of wireless communications systems in remote areas.

Related Article: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Fiber Optic Transmission

How Do Fiber Optics and Cable Television Work

Fiber optical cable and the old common (RF or coaxial) cabke are two different cable system technologies that can be used to distribute various services to end users-homes. In general, they differ only in technical (electrical or communication) point of view. This is mainly important for the network operators because end users or viewers don’t care about the technology, they are insterested in services and TV channels.

There are serveral different methods that can be used to release public services like television channel through a cable television network. Each has some advantages and disadvantages and require different topology structure and network infrastructure.

Analog Television

The first cable television network was just extension of the broadcast in the air. This was implemented by deploying ordinary antenna cable (but with lower losses) from the cable system headend to the homes. Because of distance and many amplifier at a particular point, to ensure that the required signal level. Special communication is one-way, but then most of these cable network to expand to DocSys allows two-way communication need to access the Internet through the use of the system.

This approach can be used with radio frequency coaxial and optical fiber cable. Fiber optic cables are also used in some cases to distribute the old analog cable television. The advantage of optical network because it can use the available fiber in the existing optical fiber cable and the cable loss is very low.

Digital Television

Digital television in cable networks can be divided into two totally different ways of distribution. The first one is an equivalent to digital broadcasting and the other way mainly used in fiber optic networks is IP television.

Digital Cable Broadcastingn

This is equivalent to analog distribution over (RF) cable but with digital signal. The same technology (modulation) can be used as the ground broadcasting but usually, there are more efficient systems, considering the specific properties of the cable system. One typical example is DVB-T system which is used in Europe for digital terrestrial video broadcasting but cables use similar DVB-C system.

IP Television

This is one of the most popular digital television distribution used with fiber optic cable systems. This means that the distribution channels with IP protocol is the backbone of network communication. Each TV channels is encoded with either MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 system and then distributed over fiber optical cable network to the homes. The advantages are enormous. The capacity for the number of channels is pretty high, all the channles can be encoded and distributed with very high quality, it is very easy to distribute HD channels, access to the internet is very simple because of the IP protocol and native technology.

Regardless of distribution cable technology the changes are also happening in the consumer industry. The old CRT television sets are replaced by plasma or LCD flat panel displays and aspect ratio or picture format is also changing from 4:3 to 16:9. Since computer LCD monitors use similar display panels they can be converted to televisions by just adding a simple TV tuner.

Coaxial Cable And Fiber Optic Cable Which One Is Right For Your Particular Job

Modern information network provides many possible way of passing information between computers, servers, network center, TV, radio and telephone. Two of the most popular way to make these connections coaxial cable and optical fiber cable. Both of these types of cable can be used for carrying video, audio, and other forms of data, and both can offer you distinct advantages and disadvantages in setting up the data network of your dreams.

Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable has been widely used since about at the beginning of the twentieth century. This is a testimony to the resilience and cable quality, its universality has been able to unchallenged still more or less in their long life. Coaxial cable is the key to success is the shielding design, makes the copper core cable to transmit data fast, don’t succumb to interfere with or damage the environment factors.

All of the coaxial cable is composed of a copper core, and in turn surrounded by, and then a weaving dielectric insulation copper shield, finally a plastic sheath. These four layers allow coaxial cables to be deployed in almost any conveivable setting, and for most of the twentieth century, coax cables were the cable of choice of setting up almost every variety of communications network.

Originally, coax cable was used by the military to transmit radio and telephone signals.

Different types of coaxial cable are still differentiated today by the designation RG-a shortened version of the term Radio Guide, which was the military’s choice nomenclature for differentiating different types of cable.

As terrestrial and cable, coaxial cable into the more common everyday use. When the popularity of the internet, become China’s largest dielectric coaxial cable transmission of signals between computers all over the world.

Though coaxial cable has proven to be a resilient means of data transfer, it does have its drawbacks. Coax cables often fall victim to a phenomenon known as signal leakage, wherein imperfections in a cable’s shielding lead it to provide a weak signal that is subject to interference (this is how you wind up getting a fuzzy signal from your cable television connection).

Many different kinds of coaxial cable is available and that ir is important to find out which type is best for your data requirements, if the coaxial cable is you choose to use your network project.

Fiber Optic Cable

Whereas coaxial cable depend on the copper as medium to transmit data, the core components of the optical fiber cables simply select ultrafine glass known as silicon. Fiber optic cable is still a newly invented, only into widespread use in 1980s. Though usually more expensive than coaxial cable, optical fiber offers several advantages, will ignore any large-scale digital data network.

Instead of using electricity as a medium in which to pass information (as is the case with coaxial cables), fiber optic cable employ light to carry remarkably large amounts of data at a remarkably fast speed. Fiber optic cable will usually contains several silicon the spread of the “nuclear” increasing its capability of providing cable data transmission.

Optical fiber cable can be used in the single mode and multimode, single mode fiber cable provides a single transmission path and which data can be passed, and multimode cable provides several paths. Dual fiber optic cable can transmit data in both directions, and simplex fiber optic cable can transmit data only in one direction.

Because of their expense, relative novelty, and sophisticated design, fiber optic cables are found less frequently in residential and consumer settings than coaxial cables. Coax cables have earned a deserving reputation for being easy to install and more than able to take a beating. While fiber optic cables offer a higher quality of data transfer than coaxial cables, they are probably best employed for large-scale professional networks, such as those found within an academic or business campus. If home installation or medium-capacity data transfer is your goal, then you’d probably be better off sticking with coaxial cable.

Integrated Cabling Fiber Optic Cable Line Installation

Because, this period of communication network household cable lines, part of the outdoor, part of indoors, requirements and their way of laying optical fiber cables new requirements. These places the fiber capacity requirements will continue to grow, but still rules to follow, everything will depend on the needs of users. To have potential demand forecast puts the fiber optic cable, obviously will produce waste and the backlog of funds.

The same time, this section of optical fiber cable line communication network home will have to go through the route, may have stereotypes of the park, in this re-construction of large-scale
communication pipeline would be difficult, a large number of aerial installation will not only destroy the beautiful landscape, the line is not safe.

To resolve these needs problem, has to adapt to the new way of laying the products come out.

At present, domestic and foreign new fiber optic cable laying methods are mainly three categories: the first is Air blow installed micro-optic cable or optical fiber bundles, fiber unit blowing into the pre-laying micro tube; second is open on the cement pavement slot, micro cable laying on the road tank; the third is use of non-communication pipe installation cable.

Air blow installation with cable

Air blow laying methods using compressed air high-speed air micro-cable blown into the pipe specified. A blower the laying methods with a variety of superoprity. High-speed airflow, mini-cables in suspension in the pipeline, so the terrain changes and pipe bending the cable; improve fiber packing density can take advantage of the tubes and micro cable, save pipeline resources;

The eary simply laying the appropriate capacity fiber optic cable, after expansion in phases according to the development needs of a fiber optic sub-tubes blown into the main pipe has been built in batches, saving the initial launch, to avoid a large number of fiber idle; fiber optic cable can be increased at any time based on business needs branch, Y-fiber optic connector to reduce fiber optic cable connector.

Blowing installed with fiber optic cable, fiber optic cable is cloth on the sub-pipe systems and micro-pipeline designed. Sealed miniature fiber optic cable and indoor and outdoor non-metallic dual-use micro-optic cable.

Sealed miniature fiber optic cable

It uses fiber loose tube stainless steel tube structure, in addition to the general characteristics of a miniature cable diameter is small, light weight, but also has excellent high temperature properties and lateral pressure resistance. Stainless steel tube using laser welded stainless steel band, fiber and fiber paste it sealed inside, accurate excess length control technology to ensure the use of fiber optic cable in a complex environment.

And stainless steel pipe with excellent moisture resistance and physical rodent control, termite performance and acid resistance, fiber can give the best protection, to minimize the damage to fiber optic cable blowing mounting seal micro-optic cable.

Indoor and outdoor dual-use non-metallic fiber optic cable

Fiber optic cable terminal and maintenance and overhaul mostly be located in the street, the center room of the district, inside buildings or communications equipment. These places there are fire safety, must comply with special needs: self-extinguishing cable products, non-smoking, non-metallic dual-use, indoor and outdoor fiber optic cable, LSOH material mostly used.

Pavement micro-groove fiber optic cable

Pavement micro-groove fiber optic cable and air-blown fiber optic cable has a similar structure, but also a small cable diameter, the weight light fiber optic cable, and low cost, easy laying, laying flexible, simple and efficient. China’s development of a stainless steel loose tube technology-based pavement micro-groove fiber optic cable, fiber count up to 48 cores, outer diameter less than 6.0mm cable weight less than 60kg/km.

Wherein, stainless steel tube, both the protective tube of the optical fiber loose tube, able to provide the appropriate fiber excess length of fiber optic cable gland for completely isolated from the outside moisture from entering the casing, but also a reinforcing member of the fiber optic cable, by selecting the appropriate pipe cross-sectionalto ensure that the tensile properties of the fiber optic cable and flattening performance. Stainless steel tube filled with a thixotropic water blocking compound to ensure that the cable complies the seepage performance requirements, steel pipe is extruded polyethylene sheath.

Road microchannel cable laying only need to open a narrow slot in the road, covered with a layer of sand at the bottom, a buffer layer of foam rods and other material laid on the sand, then the fiber optic cable buried in the tank, and then the cableholes and a layer buffer layer, and finally fill in the cement or bitumen according to road conditions, restore the original road can be.

In the gardens, lawns, slotting in the garden or lawn, then sets of fiber optic cable with PVC pipe shop in the above, and then backfill can restore the surface. Pavement micro-groove fiber optic cable is very simple solution to the problem of the construction and deployment of FTTH across the concrete floor, indoor and outdoor garden lawn terrain.

Drainage Pipeline laying fiber optic cable

At present, China has developed and widely used in a stainless steel loose tube technology, rainwater pipes using the layer stranded wire for reinforcement member mini-cables, fiber core up to 48 cores, outside diameter less than 9.6mm, cable weight of less than 190kg/ km.

Stainless steel pipe in the fiber optic cable is both loose tube fiber protection tube, fiber optic cable gland, in the sewer environment can be completely cut off from the outside water and moisture from entering the casing. Steel casing to faciliate the provision of sufficient and stable fiber excess length, which is particularly important to ensure the fiber life of the self-supporting fiber optic cable attenuation temperature characteristics. Stainless steel tube filled with a thixotropic water blocking compound to ensure that the requirements of the cable complies seepage performance.

This drainage pipeline the laying of fiber optic cable, with the urban underground drainage pipeline to laying fiber optic cable. Installed drain pipe in the wall of the manhole placement of the fixed metal member, rainwater pipes on both ends of the cable surface with stainless steel hanging gold, the gold with a lock in the borehole will then be hanging on the fixing metal member, so that the cable tensioner, sag decreases, the suspension was self-supporting.

Cable laying on the drainage pipeline on the wall, in essence, the ends of the pipes in the manhole self-supporting, hanging, thus requiring Simple structure, light weight, small diameter cable, container density, and has a largetensile strength and flexibility characteristics.

In addition, the cable laying on the drainage channel environment, but also requires moisture resistance and good corrosion resistance, and has some rodent resistance ability.

Source: fiberstore.com