CORNING, NY-Corning (www.corning.com) has developed an optical fiber-based technology for FTTx networks designed to allow the cabled fiber to be bent around tight corners with virtually no signal loss. The company’s nanoStructures technology will enable installers to more economically provide high-speed Internet, voice and HDTV services to virtually all types of commercial and residential buildings. Current optical fiber installations lose signal strength and effectiveness when bent around corners and routed through a building, making it difficult and expensive to run fiber to the customer’s home. “We have developed an optical fiber cable that is as rugged as copper but with all of the bandwidth benefits of fiber,” says Peter Volanakis, Corning’s president and chief operating officer. “By making fundamental changes in the way light travels in the fiber, we were able to create new optical fiber that is over 100 times more bendable than standard fibers.”
TORONTO, ON-Nortel (www.nortel.com) has unveiled a vision for the “Unwired Enterprise,” designed to enable businesses to create all-wireless office environments free of cabling. The Unwired Enterprise is also intended to include seamless universal mobility in and out of the office, enabled by wireless broadband capable of supporting all communications needs, including voice, video, unified communications, and other real-time applications. As part of its vision, Nortel is increasing its research and development for a complete next-generation enterprise wireless and mobility solutions, which will include: wireless LAN and Mesh products supporting access at speeds three to six times faster than today’s typical rates, switches and routers with embedded wireless functionality to improve performance of real-time applications, and unified network management designed to provide end-to-end support across an enterprise data network from a single management platform.
COLUMBIA, MD-SPL Integrated Solutions (www.splis.com), a designer and installer of high-bandwidth video systems, has created a Network Services Division to provide network design and consulting services, targeting Fortune 1000 corporations, higher education institutions, and the Federal government. “With the formation of the Network Services Division, we can now provide IP networking analysis and assessment before the deployment of the AV systems to ensure that performance, security, and quality-of-service remain high,” says SPL president and CEO Chad Gillenwater. The new division will be headed by Mike Morgan, RCDD.
RICHARDSON, TX-Released in October 2006 and available only in the European, Middle East and African markets, CommScope’s (www.commscope.com) GigaSPEED X10D FTP solution is now being offered to customers worldwide. The foiled twisted-pair cable is designed to support and exceed IEEE 802.3an and 10GBase-T standards. “Since there is a certain portion of the market that prefers an FTP solution, we intend to address that demand,” explains Mark Peterson, senior vice president of global marketing/enterprise. CommScope says its FTP solution has been specifically engineered with enhanced cable and connector performance designed to support emerging 10-Gbit/sec Ethernet requirements. Featuring a four-pair construction and aluminum foil tape, the cable is equipped with a patented pair isolator and an optimized twist-and-strand scheme designed to provide an extra margin of performance for high-bandwidth applications.
ARLINGTON, VA-The TIA (www.tiaonline.org) TR-42.3 subcommittee on commercial building telecommunications pathways and spaces is developing a revision to J-STD-607-A: Commercial Building Grounding (Earthing) and Bonding Requirements for Telecommunications. The revision could add requirements that are not included in the existing standard and would reflect technological chances since the standard was published. Areas under consideration include: application information, antenna grounding, data center grounding, industrial grounding, verification and testing, impact of multiple power service entrances, tall buildings, campus grounding, grounding for access and service providers, supplemental grounding (including rods, grids, and coupled conductors), bonding conductor sizing, and optical grounding topologies. If interested in contributing to the proposed project development, contact Steve Huffaker: [email protected]
BRICK, NJ-North American Video (www.navcctv.com) will provide a networked video surveillance system that includes 140 Infinova PTZ dome cameras as part of a contract for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of Los Angeles. Also included in the contract are mounting accessories and coaxial cable converters. The surveillance system is designed to improve law enforcement’s ability to monitor and react to suspicious activities. With a 1,433-square-mile operating area, and 2,000 buses on the street any given business day in addition to 73.1 miles of urban rail service, the Los Angeles MTA is the third largest public transportation system in the United States.