OPINION: FIBRE CLEANING
DON’T UNDEREST
THE IMPOR OF FIBRE C JAY TOURIGNY, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AT MICROCARE EXPLAINS WHY, AS THE DEMAND FOR GREATER CONNECTIVITY CONTINUES TO SURGE, IT’S IMPERATIVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW FIBRE CLEANING IS A CRITICAL FACTOR TO A NETWORK’S PERFORMANCE.
T
he world’s need for greater connectivity continues to grow. This increased demand for fast, unlimited service drives many network designers to rely more on sophisticated fibre optic systems to meet current and future bandwidth requirements. Along with the need for greater capacity and higher speeds comes the need for absolute reliability of the networks to provide consistent and uninterrupted service. For modern optical networks to perform at their peak, it is imperative that the
22 | April 2019
fibre network is properly installed and maintained. This includes ensuring that all connections and splices are kept perfectly clean to avoid potential problems such as insertion loss (weakened signal), backreflection (signal is diverted back to its source) or a complete system shut down. Despite the importance of cleanliness, there is still reluctance by some within the fibre industry to recognise that thorough fibre cleaning is critical to a network’s performance. This article focuses on the top reasons why cleaning can be underestimated by some, and why this mindset should change.