VIAVI Solutions has announced what it calls the industry’s first all-in-one medium- and long-range bidirectional testing and certification solution for hollow-core fiber (HCF). The company says the offering combines its 8100 Series optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) modules, optical dispersion measurement (ODM) modules, and ReportPRO software to run HCF-specific bidirectional OTDR analysis.
VIAVI says the platform supports OTDR, dispersion testing, and attenuation profiling, and that it has been validated in trials with fiber manufacturers, specialist contractors, and three leading hyperscalers. The company positions the solution for certification workflows where HCF’s optical properties differ from single-mode fiber, including backscattering behavior and spectral range, and where projects require an expansive range of tests due to higher manufacturing and specialist contractor deployment costs.
According to VIAVI, compared with single-mode fiber, HCF can enable up to 30% lower latency, up to 70% reduced Chromatic Dispersion (CD), up to 65% lower attenuation, and reduced signal distortion. VIAVI says these characteristics can support faster data transmission over longer distances without amplification and with minimal data errors or loss.
VIAVI lists data center interconnect between hyperscale campuses for artificial intelligence as a target use case, alongside high-frequency financial trading, quantum communication, defense, and other applications. It says HCF deployments typically need bidirectional OTDR measurements at higher wavelengths, plus dispersion testing and attenuation profile (AP) measurements, particularly over medium- and long-haul links.
VIAVI says its solution is the first all-in-one certification option capable of bidirectional OTDR, polarization mode dispersion (PMD), CD, and AP testing and reporting for HCF links. It also says the solution’s OTDR dynamic range and non-OTDR-based dispersion testing make it suitable for hollow-core fiber types including DNANF and PBG across short-, medium-, and long-distance links, hosted on the OneAdvisor 800 Fiber platform.
“A key advantage of hollow core fiber is that it transmits data faster over longer distances,” said Kevin Oliver, Vice President and General Manager, Fiber and Access Solutions, VIAVI. “However, testing for splice quality, connector losses and fiber integrity requires a different approach with higher-performance test solutions.”
Source: VIAVI Solutions
