Prysmian's new OM4 multimode fiber supports multi-wavelength data center applications

Fiber-optic cable supplier Prysmian Group has unveiled its WideCap-OM4 multimode fiber, a new fiber optimized for multi-wavelength systems in data center networks.

According to the company, the WideCap-OM4 multimode fiber delivers OM4 performance in the 850-950-nm window while maintaining compatibility with current laser-optimized multimode fibers, Prysmian explains. Traditional OM4 fibers offer high bandwidth in a narrow band centered at 850 nm. To satisfy the exponentially increasing information demand in data centers, the capacity of WideCap-OM4 has been extended to longer wavelengths up to 950 nm.

The WideCap-OM4 and multi-wavelength systems therefore become a viable approach for 40-, 100-, and 400-Gbps transmission, the vendor asserts. WideCap-OM4 also incorporates BendBright technology to deliver enhanced macro-bending performance, the company adds.

"WideCap-OM4 is the first multimode fiber optimized for multi-wavelength systems; it extends the operating window of traditional OM4 fibers to 950 nm, allowing the transmission of, for example, four channels in a 100-nm window," said Marco van Dongen, sales and marketing director optical fiber, Prysmian Group. "This advanced fiber in combination with multi-wavelength transceivers will likely be used in high performance data centers operating at 40/100/400 Gbps in the near future."

The new fiber will be produced in Prysmian's Eindhoven plant in the Netherlands, the largest factory in the world for production of this type of fiber, according to the company.

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