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BISBEE’S BUZZ
USGBC Under Attack By Commercial Interests
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a
non profit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes,
hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. USGBC is dedicated to expanding green
building practices and education, and its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary,
consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance,
sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes
state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water
savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor
environmental quality.
This all sounds wonderful, so why are the Chemical companies
and their shills attacking the “good guys”. It may have more to do with profits
than public safety.
Brendan Owens, Director-Vice
President, LEED Technical Development USGBC Non-profit organization dedicated to
sustainable building design and construction and developers of the LEED
building rating system. (www.usgbc.org),
stated that the goal of MR Credit 4:1: PBT Source Reduction: Dioxins and
Halogenated Compounds, is to “ Reduce the release of persistent bioaccumlative
toxic chemicals (PBT’S) associated with the life cycle of building
materials.” The LEED Green Building
Rating System ™, which is run by the USGBC, is a voluntary program. Under it, project credits can be earned to
qualify for LEED certification. The
USGBC is not the only “green” building body, but it is a prominent on, with
nearly 14,000 member organizations, including nonprofit associations,
architects, facility manager, engineers, interior designers, construction
managers, lenders and others.
It is
interesting to note, that the Canadian and U.S. Military departments avoid the
use of CMP cable, opting for safe alternatives, such as the EU - European
standard low-smoke, zero-halogen (LSZH) cabling. All the major domestic
manufacturers are making LSZH cable. It’s the standard across Europe.
It’s accepted by stringent military specs here but isn’t suitable for
installation in our buildings? http://www.ecmag.com/index.cfm?fa=article&articleID=8609
The PVC
& FRPVC jackets and the FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene – known by the
trade names of Dupont Teflon® FEP & Daikin - America Neoflon® FEP)
insulation used in CMP Plenum cable are some of the most common materials used
in cabling constructions in the USA. All of these materials are
Halogenated.
Not only
are Halogenated materials under scrutiny but also the use of heavy metals (such
as Lead & Cadmium) in the PVC compounds.
Most of the major cable manufacturers product lines include RoHS
compliant LSZH (Low-Smoke Zero-Halogen) cables that they market in Europe and
the UK.
The RoHS
Directive stands for "the restriction of the use of certain
hazardous substances in electrical and electronic
equipment". This Directive bans the placing on the EU market of
new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of
lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and
polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants.
Manufacturers need to understand the requirements of the RoHS Directive to
ensure that their products, and their components, comply. http://www.rohs.gov.uk/ Note: the RoHS directive is not a
requirement in the US
codes. RoHS compliant cables are a
voluntary decision by the US
consumer.
CCCA joins VI & SPI against USGBC
LEED-HC
This is
incredible… $50,000.00 per year to join CCCA (Communications Cable &
Connectivity Association), a newly formed association (announced
January 15, 2008) with a mission statement that is extremely vague. This association appears to be set up to
provide a strong lobbying effort for specific commercial interests including
the chemical companies that supplies materials for the cable market in the USA.
In an article published by the Wire Journal International www.wirenet.org, March 2008, Frank Peri,
executive director of CCCA (Communications Cable & Connectivity
Association) has already joined the voices of the Vinyl Institute and the SPI (The Society of the Plastics
Industry, Inc.) in a strong attack on the USGBC (US Green Building Council)
LEED – HC voluntary proposal to improve environmental and safety conditions in
the Health Care Industry. The
CCCA official location is currently in the office of a Washington, D.C.
attorney firm (No website yet).
Frank Peri
(Francis W. Peri) has more than 30 years of professional experience in the chemical
and communications industries. His background includes: consultation for
management and marketing of fluoropolymers (DuPont and Daikin), and positions
in chemical manufacturing and senior business management at the DuPont Company.
Mr. Peri holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Boston College.
(www.dupont.com & www.daikin-america.com)
What’s
next?
We applaud
the efforts of the US Green Building Council to pursue safer and more
environmentally friendly solutions for the home and workplace. We can expect
lots of “selective voodoo science” to emerge as arguments against the halogen
reduction. The chemical companies have deep pockets and lots of “friends”.
But that’s
just my opinion,
Frank Bisbee
"Heard On The Street" Monthly Column
www.wireville.com
4949 Sunbeam Rd, Suite 16
Jacksonville, FL 32257
(904) 645-9077 office
(904) 645-9058 fax
frank@wireville.com
Industry News
Come To The 2008 BICSI Spring Conference
Pre-conference Seminars
It pays to
arrive early in Nashville!
BICSI pre-conference educational seminars offer extended learning opportunities
that are an easy way to get a head start on your conference experience. The
seminars will be held on Sunday, April 27 between 1:30-4:30 p.m. Below are the
seminar titles and continuing education credit (CEC) information.
“Grounding
Systems: Why Important and Why Testing is Invalid 95% of the Time,” John R.
Howard, Lyncole XiT Grounding, Torrance,
California
3 CECs –
RCDD, NTS Specialty, OSP Specialty, WD Specialty, ITS Installer 2 and ITS
Technician
“Cabling
for the Wireless Triple-Play Services,” Joe Bardwell, Connect802 Corporation, San Ramon, California
3 CECs –
RCDD, NTS Specialty, OSP Specialty, WD Specialty, ITS Installer 2 and ITS
Technician
“General
Power Quality,” Dan Maxcy and Brian Branigan, Power Protection Products, Omaha, Nebraska
3 CECs –
RCDD, NTS Specialty, OSP Specialty, WD Specialty, ITS Installer 2 and ITS
Technician
Fees for
these seminars are separate from the conference registration fee. Click
here to view full descriptions of each seminar and to register online. For
additional help or questions, call BICSI Customer Service at +1 813.979.1991 or
800.242.7405 (USA & Canada
toll-free).
The 2008 BICSI Cabling Skills
Challenge
After your
pre-conference seminar you can head straight down to the Exhibit Hall, visit
with the top industry vendors and experience BICSI history in the making. Watch
the best ITS installers compete for the title of Installer of the Year in the
BICSI Cabling Skills Challenge.
Don’t miss
this exciting event as a BICSI tradition is born. The winner will receive a
$5,000 cash prize as well as several valuable prizes and a trophy. There is no
entry fee to compete and competitors will receive a full paid Spring Conference
registration.
If you are
an ITS Installer, there's still time to join the competition. Apply today—the
deadline has been extended to Friday, April 4. For more information, including
the competition schedule and an application to compete, visit www.bicsi.org/skillschallenge.
BICSI Cares Silent Auction
BICSI Cares
invites you to participate in the first-ever silent auction to be held at the
2008 BICSI Spring Conference in Nashville.
All proceeds will benefit Saving Little Hearts Inc.—and your help is needed to
make this a success! Saving Little Hearts is a not-for-profit organization
devoted to helping children with congenital heart defects and their families.
Here’s how
you can help. Contribute an item to the silent auction—you, your employer or
both can donate the item. Click
here for more information and a donation form.
Focusing on
children in need, BICSI Cares is a year-round effort that has given money to
charities worldwide to help build schools, feed the hungry, prevent abuse and
violence, combat illiteracy and provide for an overall positive environment.
Established in 1992 as a 501(c)(3) entity, BICSI Cares collects donations to
support charities worldwide, and all donations are tax deductible. For more
information visit the BICSI Cares
Web page or e-mail to: bicsicares@bicsi.org.
Don’t Forget To Check Out The BICSI Credential Holders Lounge At The
BICSI Spring Conference
Don’t
forget to check out the BICSI Credential Holders Lounge when you are at the
2008 BICSI Spring Conference in Nashville.
Sponsored by ITS-Jobs.com, the Lounge is secluded away from the buzz of the
seminars and exhibit floors, providing a unique and intimate setting for any
Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD®), BICSI ITS Installer or
Technician, to share their conference experiences, focus on business matters or
simply take time to read magazines and watch news. You can also enter a drawing
to win the TV that you will see in the Lounge.
www.bicsi.org
*********************************
Who Needs TPMA = YOU DO!
Your
company has won a bid. Your Design team has spent time and money putting
together the specs. You hand it over to
a lead technician, who has little or no formal training/certifications in personnel
management or project management. He is given the due date and sent on his way.
The end result: the project is over-budget and the
time line was shot in the first 2 weeks.
Your design team is frustrated, your customer is extremely agitated and
the moral of your installers has hit an all time low. What
went wrong?
Webster’s
Dictionary defines PROJECT as “a planned undertaking”.
In today’s economy the almighty dollar has a strong influence on who
will “get the job”. A company coming in
over budget with a large number of unexpected change orders to the original
contract will have a harder time, even with a great design and a final cost
that beats other companies, winning the next bid. It is time to look within the company to find
a way to streamline the process and find out where the errors in planning are.
Many companies have brought their lead Tech into a position
of a PM (Project Manager) the “old Fashioned way; on the job training. They are
employees who have exceeded the expectation placed on them and seem to be able
to rise to any challenge and succeed.
Put into perspective by Don Nelson, Master Instructor for TPMA (Telecommunications Project Management
Association):
§
Find
the top mechanic
§
Tell
them they would make a great pilot
§
Allow
them to start with no training… just try a small one…!
(Excerpt from TPMA course PM100)
TPMA’s courses teach the attendee techniques that if used,
will bring in a project on time, under budget and exceed the customer’s
expectations. The course takes you through the steps of a project’s phases and
explains various tools that can be used to track, document, and manage the
project from start to finish.
PM100 is a valuable tool for the introduction of Project
Management and is taught on a level that all attendees are able to understand
and relate to. The instructors use
personal experiences as well as tools and templates to bring their students
into the exhilarating world of project management. The fundamental methods that are used in the
classroom not only can be brought in to the workplace but are able to crossover
to other areas of life. When you leave
the class you are able to look at that next challenging project with a hint of
excitement. You know that you have in
your bag of tricks new skills and tools to tackle the obstacles that all
projects inherently have.
The outcome of taking a TPMA course can be: your project
comes in on time, under budget, your design team shines, the customer is
singing your companies praises and your installers chomping at the bit to get
on to the next job as a motivated experienced team. The alternative is a bit like “Russian
Roulette”. www.telpm.org
By Laura Jirus – Editor
“Heard On The Street - HOTS”
monthly column www.wireville.com
*********************************
A Classic Publication For The Information Age Has Closed It’s Doors
Business
Communications Review (a
subscriber paid magazine – now owned by CMP) was started by Jerry Goldstone.
After more than three decades, the Business Communications Review magazine has
ceased publication. BCR will be missed but not forgotten. BCR joins Teleconnect
and other great publications that have moved into history. These magazines
guided our industry in the early phases of the Information Age.
*********************************
Telecommunications Industry Veteran Lonnie Martin Named CEO At AKTINO
Lonnie Martin, who has spent
more than 35 years in the telecommunications industry and served as chief
executive officer for several well-known companies in the course of his career,
has been named the CEO of Aktino, the leader in delivery of Carrier Ethernet
and broadband services over existing copper wiring infrastructure.
Martin, who was most recently
CEO of White Rock Networks, an optical equipment company that he founded in
1999 and guided until 2006, when it was sold to Turin Networks, has taken the
helm at Aktino at a time when the company is generating increasing interest in
its range of high-bandwidth, long-reach copper solutions.
Martin describes himself as a
“serial entrepreneur.” He has been president and CEO of three venture
capital-backed companies in Silicon Valley and
Dallas – White Rock Networks, Broadband Telesystems, and Coastcom – and a top
executive at two large multinational companies, ADC Telecommunications and
Ascom/Timeplex.
“Service ubiquity is a first
requirement for carriers. Deployment of fiber progressively magnifies the
need to do more on copper to sustain service ubiquity. Aktino fulfills that
need with solutions that deliver three to five times the bandwidth of
alternative solutions – at distances that are common in carrier networks,”
Martin said.
“Whether this means delivering
10Mb Ethernet service at CSA, increasing remote DSLAM backhaul to 50 Mbps, or
tripling the bandwidth from cell sites using existing copper facilities,
Aktino’s MIMO on DMT has the performance advantage, optional asymmetrical
operation, and complete ADSL spectral compatibility that enable carriers to
cost-effectively achieve service ubiquity leveraging existing copper
facilities.”
“Aktino is helping to redefine
the power of copper as a valuable and cost-effective complement to fiber that
helps service providers leverage their infrastructure to grab new revenue
opportunities and retain existing customers. I’m eager to guide the
company to further customer successes and continued technology leadership,”
Martin added.
Martin pointed to specific
Aktino strengths, such as its VDSL2-based MIMO (Multiple In, Multiple Out) on
DMT (Discrete Multi-Tone) technology, which virtually eliminates crosstalk
between copper pairs and allows multimegabit capacity on each copper pair, all
the way to the edge of the carrier serving area.
He also noted Aktino’s
asymmetric bandwidth technology, which allows service providers to tailor the
upstream and downstream bandwidths to specific customer needs and enables
bandwidth as high as 7 Mbps per pair. He echoed the endorsements of many
providers already leveraging this feature that it will continue to be key to
providing cost-effective DSL and cell site backhaul.
“Lonnie Martin brings a wealth
of valuable expertise to the CEO position, and his vast experience will help
Aktino capitalize on its significant technological advantages and excel in
continued customer acquisition, strategic partnering, and growth,” said Rick
DeGabrielle, Chairman of the Board of Aktino. DeGabrielle, who himself has a
quarter century of telecommunications industry experience, became board
chairman in late 2007.
“We have great confidence in
Aktino and believe that Lonnie Martin is the right executive, with the right
skills to take Aktino to the next level,” said Bruce Hallett, a partner
with Miramar Ventures, one of Aktino’s key investors.
Before founding White Rock
Networks, Martin was president of the Business Broadband Group at ADC
Telecommunications, and before that was an executive at Ascom/Timeplex. He had
earlier served as CEO of Broadband Telesystems, a company he sold to Timeplex.
He has served on the boards of Lightwave Systems, TXP, Efficient Networks,
Adaptive Broadband, Quarry Technologies, and on a special Competitiveness
Council launched by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. He has an MBA from the Harvard Business School
and bachelors and masters degrees from Caltech.
Aktino, founded in 2003, is
highly focused on the use of bonded copper to enable providers to take
advantage of the quickly growing, New Mid-Band Ethernet market opportunity,
which requires service capacities of 10 to 50 Mbps. It was the first company to
deliver products for the business Ethernet market based on MIMO on DMT.
The Aktino product portfolio includes the AK3000 DS3 over copper solution,
AK5000, a scalable, shelf-based carrier Ethernet platform for larger
installations and the 0-50 Mbps AK4000 carrier Ethernet point-to-point
product.. www.aktino.com
*********************************
Belden Appoints Steve Biegacki As Vice President, Global Sales And Marketing
Belden
(NYSE: BDC - News) has appointed Steven R.
Biegacki as Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, effective March 31,
2008. Mr. Biegacki, age 49, is Vice President, Marketing, with Rockwell
Automation, a leading global provider of industrial automation control and
information systems. As Vice President, Marketing, Mr. Biegacki has led the
globalization of Rockwell Automation's marketing function, provided leadership
in defining targeted customer segments and working to align the product
portfolio with customer needs, and envisioning and realizing strategic
initiatives. He joined Allen-Bradley (which was later acquired by Rockwell) in
1978 and has nearly 30 years' experience with the company in sales, business
management, and marketing focused on industrial automation. Mr. Biegacki has a bachelor's
degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from ETI
Technical College
in Cleveland, Ohio.
John
Stroup, President and Chief Executive Officer of Belden, said: "I am
delighted to welcome Steve Biegacki to Belden's senior leadership team. Steve
is a process-oriented executive with a great depth of experience in meeting the
needs of industrial automation customers and leading the development of a
global marketing organization." http://www.belden.com.
*********************************
Belden Will Close Manchester, Connecticut Plant – 132 Lose Jobs
Belden
(NYSE: BDC - News) today announced plans to
further restructure its North American manufacturing operations and to reduce
its worldwide production overhead and expenses.
The Company
will cease production activities at its plant located in Manchester, Connecticut,
by September 2008. The facility manufactures copper cable products primarily
for data networking. Other company facilities will assume the production
activities of the plant. The Manchester
plant is part of the Company's Specialty Division.
The number
of associates affected by these actions is approximately 132. Associates will
be eligible for severance benefits, and the Company will make every effort to
help associates transition into other employment opportunities.
"We
regret the impact of these actions on the affected associates," said John
Stroup, President and Chief Executive Officer of Belden. "It is a
difficult, but necessary step in the implementation of our regional
manufacturing strategy. The expected cost savings associated with this action
are further benefit of this strategy and take advantage of our lower cost
capacity at the recently completed Nogales,
Mexico
facility."
In
connection with the actions announced today, Belden expects to incur severance
charges of approximately $1 to $2 million pretax during the shut-down period
and non-cash asset impairment charges and accelerated depreciation expense of
$8 to $11 million pretax mostly in the first quarter of 2008. The after-tax
impact will be between $0.11 and $0.16 per diluted share. The Company estimates
that the cost savings associated with these actions will be approximately $5
million annually, beginning in 2009. http://www.belden.com.
*********************************
Canadian Manufacturer, Alpha Technologies Ltd., Acquires Ontario Repair Facility
Alpha
Technologies Ltd. has successfully completed the acquisition of the equipment
repair division of Sentrex Communications Ltd., Woodbridge, ON.
The acquisition is part of an ongoing program by Alpha to expand their customer
and product support services.
“As a
company that values timely service and support for its customers, the Sentrex
equipment repair division was a natural fit into our plans to directly support
our products in the Ontario
market,” said Alpha CEO Mark W. Schnarr. “By listening to the needs of our
customers we, as a company, are now able to serve them better and have a
stronger business relationship with them.”
Sentrex is
a privately held Canadian company and has been in operation since 1991. Sentrex
has operated as an Authorized
Alpha Service
Center for over 17 years
providing service and support for Alpha Power products. To help with a seamless
transition, Sentrex repair centre manager, Bogdan Sokolowski has elected to
join Alpha Technologies Ltd. where he assumes the role of Service Centre
Manager of the Ontario
repair centre. www.alpha.ca
*********************************
Corning Cable Systems Introduces LANscape® Pretium™ Integrated Solutions Design Guide
Pre-engineered port
mapping simplifies time-consuming data center design and installation
Corning
Cable Systems LLC, part of Corning Incorporated’s (NYSE:GLW) Telecommunications
segment, introduces its LANscape® Pretium™ Integrated
Solutions Design Guide. It is the first solutions guide in the
telecommunications industry to detail an innovative port-mapping process that
results in streamlined design, installation and administration in data center
infrastructures.
The
Integrated Solutions Design Guide features a synopsis of the data center
environment, including challenges, design considerations and recommended
topologies for storage area networks (SANs). The guide also outlines the design
and installation process for Corning Cable Systems’ newly introduced LANscape
Pretium Integrated Solutions.
Port mapping includes
the process of designing and documenting the connectivity of each port in the
data center main distribution area to the individual ports on the SAN
electronics. With pre-engineered port mapping diagrams, the Integrated
Solutions Design Guide simplifies this time-consuming step for data center
designers. By using this documentation and port mapping guidance, the
administration and implementation of moves, adds and changes are streamlined.
LANscape
Pretium Integrated Solutions include the Zero-U and U-Space Systems, which help
to alleviate design, installation, management, scaling and cooling issues in
the data center. They are value-added complements to Corning Cable Systems’
Plug & Play™ Universal Systems, providing connectivity for both
high-density and low-density environments in the data center. The systems
ensure seamless integration of the cabling infrastructure, passive optical
hardware, cabinets and electronic components for a true “tip-to-tip” data
center infrastructure solution.
Ensuring the integration of data center components,
LANscape Pretium Integrated Solutions simplify the data center design and
installation process, while also providing the flexibility to meet changing
customer needs. The guide is available online at
www.corning.com/buildingblocks/integrated and will be updated as Corning Cable
Systems releases new products and solutions optimized for the data center
infrastructure. www.corning.com/cablesystems .
*********************************
Corning Cable Systems Offers Free Seminars Focused on Latest Fiber-to-the-Home Technologies
2008 Emerging Technologies Seminars available in multiple
locations
Corning
Cable Systems LLC, part of Corning Incorporated’s (NYSE:GLW) Telecommunications
segment, is offering its Emerging Technologies Seminar, “FTTH: The Future of
Broadband Happening Now,” to educate attendees on the technology behind
fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks. The seminar is free and open to all
consultants and design professionals upon registration, and is being offered at
several locations throughout 2008:
·
Thursday,
March 27, in Dallas, Texas
·
Wednesday,
May 21, in Portland, Ore.
·
Wednesday,
July 16, in Albany, N.Y.
·
Tuesday,
Sept. 9, in Savannah, Ga,
·
Thursday,
Nov. 13, in St. Louis, Mo.
To request
a free seat in one of the seminars, visit www.corning.com/ftthnow or call
1-800-743-2671.
Corning, a
leader in FTTH technology, will provide a comprehensive discussion on a variety
of FTTH-related topics during the free seminar. The agenda will include an
in-depth look at the forces that affect residential subscriber bandwidth and
the various residential access technologies currently being deployed.
Information on fiber optic theory and current FTTH standards, as well as the
latest technology and product advancements, will also be provided.
Various
FTTH architectures and topologies will be compared and contrasted as features
of each are considered. Key elements of FTTH networks will also be discussed
with design guidance provided for each point in the network. The course, also
referred to as “TS-CP100 FTTH Emerging Technologies,” qualifies for the
following BICSI Continuing Education Credit (CECs): RCDD: 6; INSTALL: 6; NTS:
6; OSP: 6.
The seminar
is taught by Corning Cable Systems’ Mark Turner, marketing manager – consultant
engineers, and David Kozischek, manager of strategic technology.
Mark Turner
has worked for Corning Cable Systems for 12 years. Turner’s experience at Corning includes field
and systems engineering, product development, and most recently market
development, specifically for FTTH. Mark is recognized in the industry through
many publications and has been the chairman of the Architecture &
Technology Committee of the FTTH Council since 2006. David Kozischek has more
than 18 years of experience in communications technology, specifically
committed to new network designs. Currently manager of strategic technology for
Corning Cable Systems, he investigates new technologies and emerging
applications to quantify their impact on existing telecommunications and
information infrastructure. David is an active member of The Society of
Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), an international society
advancing an interdisciplinary approach to the science and application of
light.
FTTH has
the ability to bring communities together, increase neighborhood property
value, make telemedicine a reality and enable telecommuting. It can boost the
economies of small cities and could help bridge the economic divide. Corning’s Emerging
Technologies Seminar will discuss the technologies behind these exciting
applications. www.corning.com/cablesystems.
*********************************
Corning Cable Systems to Highlight Innovation In LAN And Data Center Applications At 2008 FOSE Conference And Exposition
Corning
Cable Systems LLC, part of Corning Incorporated’s (NYSE:GLW) Telecommunications
segment, will feature its innovative local area network (LAN) and data center
solutions at the 2008 FOSE Conference and Exposition, Apr. 1-3 in Washington,
D.C.
In its interactive exhibit (booth #1631), Corning Cable
Systems will feature an environmental representation of a LAN and data center
network deployed with Corning Cable Systems products, many of which will focus
on the unique security requirements of the federal government. Throughout the
exhibit, customers will be able to see exactly where the products fit into
their network.
The LAN
exhibit will feature Corning Cable Systems’ Plug & Play™ AnyLAN™
System for both indoor and outdoor applications. Plug & Play AnyLAN Systems
feature a multimode or single-mode optical cable pre-installed with network
access points at customer-specified intervals and a tethered, environmentally
hardened MT connector. Once distance measurements for network access point
locations are obtained, the preterminated system is manufactured and tested.
The entire system is then packed and shipped to the customer on a cable reel
for immediate deployment in the desired indoor or outdoor application.
The
exhibit’s data center section will showcase Corning Cable Systems’ Plug and
Play Universal Systems, a preterminated optical fiber cabling system that
dramatically streamlines the process of deploying an optical network infrastructure
in the data center environment. It greatly reduces fiber polarity as a factor
in system design, redesign or installation through a value-added wiring
solution.
The data center display will also feature Corning Cable
Systems’ newly introduced Pretium™ Integrated Solutions Zero-U
System. Designed jointly with Chatsworth Products, Inc. (CPI), the Zero-U
System uniquely manages optical fiber trunk cables, harnesses and modules
within CPI’s TeraFrame™ Cabinets. The system includes an MTP
Connector bracket mounted into the cabinet’s vertical manager to facilitate
patching instead of consuming valuable rack space as is traditional, providing
more room for data center electronics. The Zero-U System features
pre-engineered optical harness assemblies that map directly to the line card
ports of major equipment vendors of SAN directors. The system allows for simple
installation and integration of optical components in a data center
environment.
The new
interactive exhibit will also contain:
·
Plug
& Play Systems Integrated Trunk Module, a pre-terminated 12-fiber MTP
Connector trunk assembly integrated into a Plug and Play Systems module, in
which the trunk cable is stored in the module and can be pulled out and
deployed to meet exact length requirements to eliminate the need for precise
pre-planning of cable length.
·
Plug
& Play Systems Media Converter Module, which enables network cabling
managers to seamlessly leverage existing copper electronics while taking
advantage of the data transport properties of high-density optical systems.
·
UniCam®
Pretium™ Performance Connectors, offering best-in-class
optical performance in a fast, easy field-termination solution.
·
Keyed
LC Solutions, based on the standard LC single-fiber connector, the keyed LC
solution includes modules, panels, field-installable connectors and cable
assemblies, and provides physical separation for networks, applications or
organizations.
·
Secure
Ruggedized Information Outlet (RIO), used in applications where a robust and
tamper-proof outlet is required, including high traffic workstations,
industrial/manufacturing environments and hallways.
www.corning.com/cablesystems.
*********************************
Developing And Marketing Commercial Real Estate Is Changing Focus
January
Issue of Broadband Properties Magazine.
http://www.broadbandproperties.com/2008issues/january08/Jan_Carlini.pdf
“The main
focus is that developing commercial real estate and marketing it has
changed. Economic Development equals Broadband connectivity. And,
broadband connectivity equals jobs. This is becoming a universal truth as
intelligent business campuses or intelligent industrial parks are being built
around the world offering gigabit connectivity and other intelligent amenities
to support new business growth in a global economy.” JAMES CARLINI james.carlini@sbcglobal.net
*********************************
EXFO Acquires Navtel Communications
EXFO
Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO; TSX: EXF) announced today that
it has acquired all the shares of Navtel Communications Inc., a leading
provider of Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and
Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) test solutions for Network Equipment
Manufacturers (NEMs) and Network Service Provider (NSP) labs.
Consideration
paid consists of C$11.0 million in cash, subject to adjustments on working
capital. The deal is expected to be neutral to EXFO's earnings for the
remainder of fiscal 2008 and accretive in fiscal 2009, excluding amortization
of intangible assets to be accounted for in the acquisition.
Navtel
Communications, a privately held company in the Toronto area, specializes in testing next-generation
IP networks that are increasingly combining wireline and wireless technologies.
Its InterWatch® platforms, offering the highest performance in the
industry, are fully scalable simulation and analysis test stations available in
rack-mountable and portable formats. These solutions can perform several
critical tests ¯ capacity, performance, stress and load testing ¯ on various
network devices to assure their ability to perform under real-life, IP-based,
multi-media traffic conditions. Test modules can be hosted inside Navtel's
platforms for characterizing next-generation switches, routers, session border
controllers and media gateways.
IMS,
which is being touted as the new technology that will merge the Internet with
the telecom world, allows wireline and wireless carriers to use a common IP
application system to deliver new multi-media services that can be combined
with legacy services across a number of different access technologies. IMS has
been developed to become the overlaying architecture that will enable the
efficient management and deployment of quadruple (voice, video, data and
mobile) IP services.
Navtel
has positioned itself as a leading-edge supplier of IMS test solutions. It also
offers a comprehensive suite of VoIP and Generalized Multi-Protocol Label
Switching (GMPLS) test solutions, as well as a wide range of legacy test
protocols that have been developed over its 30 years of existence.
Frost
& Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, estimates that the IMS test
and monitoring market will grow from an estimated $274.1 million in 2007 to
$1.2 billion in 2013 for a compound annual growth rate of 27.9%. Navtel
currently addresses approximately $130 million of this market.
"This acquisition fits strategically with our long-term
plan to deliver strong growth in our Protocol test business, which posted a
compound annual growth rate of 64% in the last two years and continues to
deliver solid growth at the mid-point of fiscal 2008," said Germain
Lamonde, EXFO's Chairman, President and CEO. "Navtel's cutting-edge
technology strengthens our offering for NEMs and NSP labs which, in turn, have
a significant influence on product selections made by NSPs."
"This acquisition also enables us to expand into the
high-growth IMS and VoIP test markets, whose technologies are currently in
their early stages," Mr. Lamonde added. "We intend to leverage these
technologies throughout their entire lifecycle, especially as they mature into
portable test solutions for the NSP market in which EXFO is the world's
second-largest supplier. We also plan to take advantage of Navtel's strong
relationships with Tier-1 NEMs and leverage our own worldwide sales presence
with NSPs to accelerate sales growth, while positively impacting earnings since
Navtel's software-intensive test solutions generate high gross margins."
Navtel Communications posted sales of C$5.7 million in
calendar 2007. Joe Sutherland, founder and CEO of Navtel Communications, and
his senior management team will ensure a seamless integration into EXFO. No
restructuring is planned with all 35 Navtel employees expected to remain with
the company.
"We are pleased
to become an integral part of the EXFO family," Mr. Sutherland said.
"Our technological leadership in IMS and VoIP testing is a good fit with
EXFO's protocol test strategy. Combined with EXFO's global sales channels,
market positioning and brand equity, we envision a bright future with strong
synergies lifting our product offering and market presence to the next
level."
About Navtel Communications Inc.
Navtel
Communications was founded in 1976 and is a leading supplier of test solutions
for IMS and VoIP networks. www.navtel.com.
About EXFO
EXFO is a
Tier-1 test and measurement expert in the global telecommunications industry,
especially in the portable test market segment. www.EXFO.com,
*********************************
Best Practices for Fiber Optic Installation Start With Inspection & Cleaning
For centuries, optics have been
inspected and cleaned to ensure the proper passage of light. The advent of fiber optic cabling systems
resulted in one more application where optical care and cleanliness are
important. While inspecting and cleaning
fiber connectors is not new, it is growing in importance as links with
increasingly higher data rates are driving decreasingly small loss budgets. With less tolerance for overall light loss,
the attenuation through adapters must get lower and lower. This is achieved by properly inspecting and
cleaning when necessary. Yet there is no
reason to feel intimidated by these tighter loss budgets because inspecting and
cleaning connections is straightforward and easy.
What’s The Problem - Fiber Basics
Fiber optic cabling carries
pulses of light between transmitters and receivers. These pulses represent the data being sent
across the cable. In order for the data
to be transmitted successfully, the light must arrive at the far end of the
cable with enough power to be measured.
Light loss between the ends of a fiber link comes from multiple sources
such as the attenuation of the fiber itself, fusion splices, macrobends and
loss through adapter couplings where end-faces meet.
In lower data rate networks with
shorter lengths, loss budgets may be generous enough to allow for significant
attenuation throughout the link and still the
link will function properly.
However, there is one perpetual trend in structured cabling: the
constant push for greater bandwidth. As
fiber links are pushed to carry higher data rates, loss budgets get
correspondingly smaller, requiring all loss events to be minimized.
Enemy #1 — a dirty face
Among key sources of loss that
can bring a fiber network down, dirty and damaged end-faces are the threat most
underestimated. In a survey
commissioned by Fluke Networks, dirty end-faces were found to be the #1 cause
of fiber link failure for both installers and private network owners. Contaminated end-faces were the cause of
fiber links failing 85% of the time.
It’s astounding and yet easy to prevent.
Nevertheless, there continues to be a lack of appreciation for this
crucial issue and lots of misinformation about proper techniques.
What To Look For And When
Network professionals need to
know what to look for when evaluating end-face conditions. There are two types of problems that will
cause loss as light leaves one end-face and enters another inside an adapter:
contamination and damage.
Contamination
Contamination comes in many
forms from dust to oils to buffer gel.
Simply touching the ferrule will immediately deposit an unacceptable
amount of body oil on the end-face. Dust
and small static-charged particles float through the air and can land on any
exposed termination. This can be
especially true in facilities undergoing construction or renovation. In new installations, buffer gel and pulling
lube can easily find its way onto an end-face.
Ironically, protective caps –
also called “dust caps” – are one of the most common contributors to
contamination. These caps are made in
high-speed production processes that use a mold release compound that will
contaminate end-faces on contact.
Further, as the plastic cap ages the plasticizers deteriorate resulting
in an outgas residue. Last, airborne
dust itself will find its way into the protective cap and will move to the
end-face when the cap is pushed onto a ferrule.
It’s a very common mistake to assume that end-faces are clean when patch
cords or pre-terminated pigtails are removed from a sealed bag with protective
caps in place.
Inspection of the end-face
should verify that no contaminants are within the field of view. The most crucial area to ensure is clean is
the core of the fiber, followed by the cladding. Yet contamination on the ferrule - outside of
the end-face - could slide towards to core as the fiber is mated or
handled. Therefore, all visible
contamination should be removed if possible.
Damage
Deciding to mate every
connection first and then inspecting only those that fail is a dangerous
approach as the physical contact of mated contaminants can cause permanent
damage. This permanent damage would
require more costly and time consuming retermination or replacement of
pre-terminated links.
Damage will appear as scratches,
pits, cracks or chips. These end-face
surface defects could be the result of poor termination or mated
contamination. Regardless of the cause, damage
must be evaluated to determine if action is required as some of it can be
ignored or remedied. Up to 5% of the
outer edge of fiber cladding generally may be chipped as this is a common
result of the polishing process. Any chips
on the core are unacceptable. If
scratches or excess epoxy bleed is found, repolishing with fine lapping paper
can eliminate the problem. If the
end-face is cracked or shattered, then the fiber must always be reterminated.
In every instance, all end-faces
should always be inspected before insertion.
If a connector is being mated to a port, then the port should be
inspected as well. Inspecting one side
of a connection is ineffective as contamination inside a port can not only
cause damage but also migrate to the connector being inserted. Too often equipment ports are overlooked not
only as contaminated themselves but also as a source of contamination for test
cords.
How To Inspect - Fiber Microscope Choices
From the first days of fiber
optic cabling, microscopes were used to inspect end-faces. Initially stereo bench top microscopes were
modified to handle the task in manufacturing environments. Over time new microscopes were designed
specifically for the task, resulting in smaller units that could be taken down
the hall to the cabling closet or outside into the field.
Microscopes can be divided into
two basic groupings: optical and video.
Optical microscopes incorporate an objective lens and an eyepiece lens
to allow you to view the end-face directly through the device. Today, the barrel shaped microscopes are
ubiquitous in termination kits and used to inspect patch cords during
troubleshooting. The best feature of
these microscopes is their price as they are the least expensive way to see
end-face details. Their drawback is that
they are unable to view end-faces through bulkheads or inside equipment. As a result, you will sometimes here these
microscopes referred to as “patch cord scopes.”
Video microscopes incorporate
both an optical probe and a display for viewing the probe’s image. Probes are designed to be small so that they
can reach ports in hard-to-access places.
The screens allow images to be expanded for easier identification of
contaminants and damage. Because the
end-face is viewed on a screen instead of directly, probes eliminate any chance
of harmful laser light from reaching a person’s eye.
Microscope Evaluation
What matters most about a
microscope is what it shows the user. In
the case of fiber optic inspection, the goal is to identify all contaminants
and damage of a minimum size and within a critical area. Users must first identify the appropriate
minimum size contaminant or defect that will affect their system. The smallest-sized item that a microscope can
detect is referred to as its detection capability. Next, look for the microscope that has the
largest field of view while also maintaining the necessary detection
capability. It is preferable to see as
much of the surface area as possible while maintaining requisite detection
capability. Detection capability and
field of view require a trade-off as improving on one dimension tends to
require a detriment to the other.
If detection capability and
field of view are the most appropriate measurements of a microscope, then why
is magnification the prevalent metric.
Magnification is perfectly applicable to optical microscopes as their
performance is a direct function of the objective and eyepiece lens inside the
device. Where magnification becomes less
applicable is in video microscopes where the size of the image is a function of
both the magnification of the lens as well as the size of the screen. Complicating matters further is the effect of
contrast on the ultimate goal of detection capability. Magnification specifications for video
microscopes are a vestige of the historical prevalence of optical
microscopes. Though magnification is
directly r | 
