Bidirectional OTDR is Optimized for Hollow Core Fiber
EXFO recently announced it has developed and soon will introduce an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) with bidirectional test capability that is optimized to test hollow core fibers. The OTDR joins other testers in EXFO’s portfolio—including the CTP10 optical component test platform, the FTBx-5235 portable optical spectrum analyzer, the FTBx-570 single-ended dispersion analyzer, the FTBx-945 OLTS, and the FTBx-88810 series test solution—in supporting hollow core fiber.
When announcing this new bidirectional OTDR, EXFO said hollow core fiber is “about to revolutionize network performance with higher speeds and greater reliability, all with lower latency.
“Hollow core fiber features a hollow vacuum or air-filled central channel rather than the solid glass core at the heart of traditional fiber, enabling the high performance and lower latency ideal for data center interconnect,” the company continued. “It requires optimized methods for measuring loss, return loss, and overall transmission quality, and EXFO’s test solutions meet those demands by combining lab-grade precision with field-ready practicality.
The dynamic range of this new OTDR—complete details of which will be available soon—is ideal for hollow core fiber characterization, EXFO added. The company explained it also has “developed dedicated uni- and bi-directional analysis software to extract key fiber parameters such as loss, optical return loss, and length. The adapted analysis also enables splice-loss and reflectivity measurements that make this a unique and essential device for hollow core fiber testing.”
“EXFO continues to innovate and set the pace with industry-leading fiber test solutions, and we’re at the forefront of the transition to hollow core fiber,” said Etienne Gagnon, EXFO’s senior vice president for test and measurement. “With our industry-first bidirectional OTDR for hollow core fiber testing and the broad portfolio of test solutions that are hollow core fiber-test capable, interconnected data centers can confidently address AI-driven demand for high speed, highly reliable connectivity with low latency.
“Watch this space as EXFO continues to provide the industry with a clear path to hollow core fiber adoption and network performance transformation.”