– Unveiled by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics, Information Technology and Railways, at IMC 2023
NEW DELHI, LONDON And COLUMBIA, South Carolina, October 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — In a proud success for India R&D capacity, STL [NSE: STLTECH], a leading company in optical and digital solutionsannounced today that it has developed the world’s thinnest fiber for telecommunications – 160 micron optical fiber. Welcoming the technological innovations that are Designed in India And Made in IndiaM Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics, Information Technology and Railwaysunveiled this cutting-edge product at the STL stand at IMC 2023. After unveiling the 160 micron fiber, the honorable minister “spliced” or “joined” two strands of optical fiber – a highly calibrated process allowing perfectly connect the cores of two very thin optical fibers.
Cable manufactured with 160 micron STL fiber 3X more capacity than traditional 250 micron fiber. This was conceptualized and developed indigenously at STL’s Center of Excellence in Maharashtra, making STL one of the first companies in the world to develop and patent this cutting-edge technology.
As India becomes the world’s fastest growing digital economy, there is a need for densely fiber networks, both at the backhaul level and closer to customers. Laying conduit accounts for approximately 60% of the total cost of fiber deployment, making conduit space a valuable asset. Network builders around the world are continually seeking to reduce fiber size in order to fit more capacity into the available conduit space.
By packing more capacity into limited conduit space with reduced 6.4mm diameter cable (~32% reduction compared to 250 micron fiber), STLs 160 microns fiber will revolutionize deployment, bandwidth capacity And green quotient networks. The large-scale impact of this innovation on India The broadband landscape can be immense. For example: In a large scale project like Bharatnet, where India is expected to deploy approximately 20 million kilometers of fiber cable by 2025, using 160 micron fiber instead of standard 250 micron fiber can potentially reduce deployment time by approximately 15%. This allows the use of smaller diameter pipes, reducing the plastic footprint in the ground by around 30%.
“This finest fiber is a remarkable development and illustrates our commitment to innovation and our continued R&D efforts in photonics and materials science. » said Doctor Badri GomatamGroup CTO, STL.
Gradually reducing fiber size is an incredibly difficult feat that has captured the imagination of optical experts around the world. Some of the key challenges in reducing fiber size below 250 microns include increased sensitivity to micro-bending and increased complexity in the fiber drawing process.
Speaking of solving these challenges, Dr Badri added, “Through highly calibrated process and materials engineering, we have achieved a breakthrough in manufacturing processes and glass compositions to achieve insensitivity to micro-curvatures.”
This product meets telecommunication grade optical performance standards and complies with ITU G.657A2. This announcement comes after a series of innovationss by our R&D experts, notably India first multi-core fiber with 4X capacity and 180 micron fiber.
“This groundbreaking innovation exemplifies our passion to put Indian technology and R&D on the world map. I am extremely excited to imagine the future of India digital networks with this disruptive fiber design,” said Ankit Agarwalgeneral director, STL.
About STL – Sterlite Technologies Ltd:
STL is a global leader in optical and digital solutions with advanced offerings to build 5G, rural, FTTx, enterprise and data center networks. Learn more, Contact us, stl.tech | Twitter | LinkedIn| Youtube
SOURCE Sterlite Technologies Ltd – STL
