Berk-Tek, a Nexans company (www.berktek.com) recently announced an agreement with fiber-optic component and module manufacturer JDS Uniphase (www.jdsu.com) to create a joint solution for device-to-device connectivity using multimode fiber at distances beyond Ethernet and Fibre Channel specifications. As a result, the two companies say, customers will be able to extend distances between optical ports while leveraging the cost savings associated with using short-wavelength 850-nanometer transceivers over multimode fiber.

The cooperative agreement aligns JDS Uniphase's SW 850-nm GBIC, SFF/SFP, XENPAK, X2 and XFP optical modules with the extended distance performance of Berk-Tek's 50- and 62.5-micron GIGAlite multimode fiber-optic cable line. The two say it is the first time a fiber-optic cable manufacturer and an optical-transceiver manufacturer have aligned their extended-distance performance specifications to enable simpler, more cost-effective solutions for customers.

JDS Uniphase will now integrate GIGAlite performance into its 1- and 10-Gbit/sec Ethernet and 1-, 2-, and 10-Gbit/sec Fibre Channel product specifications, including the Gigabit Ethernet Interface Converter (GBIC), the datacom small-form-factor pluggable (SF) transceiver, and the JXP series 10-Gbit/sec XFP transceiver.

That announcement came at the BICSI Winter Conference, held January 13-15. Also at the conference, Berk-Tek introduced the GIGAlite-10XB 50-micron multimode fiber. "Berk-Tek cables featuring GIGAlite-10XB optical fiber will support 10 Gigabit Ethernet using serial 850-nm VCSEL technologies to a guaranteed distance of 600 meters," the company said in a release announcing the product.

The fiber is created using the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) process, and has an available effective modal bandwidth of 4,900 MHzkm. It delivers a maximum attenuation of 3.0 dB/km, the manufacturer says.

The company also offered the following guidance for fiber deployment in 10-gig environments. "For campus backbone distances above 300 meters (984 feet) and less than 600 meters (1,968 feet), the system designer can continue to utilize lower-cost VCSEL-based electronics versus singlemode fiber systems. Berk-Tek's standard 50-micron GIGAlite fiber is ideal for 10-Gbit/sec systems up to 150 meters. For distances up to 300 meters, the GIGAlite-10 product will continue to provide the best value."