FOTC hosts 10 diverse fiber installation seminars at BICSI Winter 2022

BICSI Winter Conference 2022 pre-attendees are swiftly encouraged to join the Fiber Optics Tech Consortium (FOTC) at the annual winter BICSI show for a pre-conference seminar, entitled, “Reuse or Replace? Will the Fiber I Have Installed Today Support My Applications Tomorrow?” Attendees will earn 3 BICSI CECs.

As previewed by a FOTC statement:

This practical masterclass from five of the leading companies in the fiber optics market, and all members of the TIA's Fiber Optic Technology Consortium (FOTC), will answer the question of what performance you can expect from your currently installed Fiber Optic cable and connectors, and when — or if — you need to upgrade your infrastructure to support emerging bandwidth and connectivity requirements.

Looking to the future, we will also examine the latest trends in fiber, components and testing with both presentations and live demonstrations of the latest in fiber, connectors, and test equipment. If you need to replace components, or expand your fiber infrastructure, here is the opportunity to see what is happening in the industry.

This seminar offers a mix of panel-style discussions and the opportunity for attendees to break into small groups for hands-on training, demonstrations and discussions. Speakers will include:

Cindy Montstream -- Legrand -- New London, CT
Guillaume Lavallee – EXFO – Quebec, Quebec, Canada
Tiger Ninomiya – Senko Advanced Components – Marlboro, Massachusetts, USA
Steve Cowles, RCDD, NTS – AEM – Chandler, Arizona, USA
Derek Whitehurst – Corning Optical Communications – Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

FOTC BICSI Winter 2022 Main Seminars

FOTC members will also be presenting nine (9) additional fiber-optic seminar titles at the BICSI Winter 2022 show. They are as follows:

“Doing the Data Dance – Technology Tango 25, 40, 50, 100, 200, 400 Gbps and Beyond”
Tuesday 11:00 am - 12:00 p.m. FOTC panel discussion
Description: "Regardless of the data center type, i.e., Cloud, Edge, MTDC, Private, Public, Corporate, or Hyperscale, there is a single constant: the need for more speed. This thirst for more speed has led to line rates now reaching 400Gbps with 800Gbps in the very near future. To achieve some of these higher speeds new connector and transceiver technologies have emerged. The plethora of options to achieve these higher rates requires careful considerations and migration strategies. Speakers include: Rodney Casteel (CommScope), Cindy Montstream, Legrand, Manja Thessin, AFL, David Hessong, Corning, Tony Irujo, OFS and Robert Reid, Panduit."

“Now More Than Ever, Installation Matters!”
Tues 11:00 am - 12:00 p.m. presented by Corey Lacare (Legrand), Jason Finnegan (Legrand), Jay Grasso (Legrand), Kevin Kearney (Legrand) and Amir Sekhavat (Superior Essex)
Description: "Because standards are not enforceable by law like codes, there is a growing mindset that “the standards are only guidelines and best practices” that can be implemented when convenient. This panel of industry experts will discuss the implications of some common installation shortcuts on modern applications including PoE, smart building, and high-speed fiber optic systems. By understanding these issues, we can begin to ensure the integrity of the system through proper installation process."

“Real World, Smart Building Deployments Utilizing a Fiber-to-the-Edge Network”
Tues. 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. presented by Gayla Arrindell (Corning), Alan Bertsch (Qypsys) and Paul Mills (DIRTT)
Description: "Fiber-to-the-Edge is enabling smart building owners to achieve a cost effective, future-ready network to support advanced building automation and enhance occupant productivity, safety and wellbeing as well as security and sustainability goals. In this session we will hear from leading industry experts on the value delivered and lessons learned in deploying smart buildings with a fiber to the edge network, including some of their very own."

“The Impact of Next-Generation Speeds on Fiber Optic Connectivity”
Tues. 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. presented by Jim Young, CommScope
Virtual presentation: "This presentation discusses various technology advancements that have paved the way to next-generation fiber implementations in the data center, standards-based approaches to 400 Gig, and the impact on fiber connectivity. The presenter will also discuss ongoing developments in optical transceiver technology and applications standards for imminent 800 Gig and future Terabit applications and how they may potentially further impact fiber connectivity in the future."

“Seizing Opportunity and Achieving Success in the Smart Building Era”
Tues 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. presented by Bob Allan (Siemon), Andy Schonberger (Intelligent Buildings), Betsy Conroy, Matthey Odell (2N Technology Group)
Description: "The global smart building market is growing at an unprecedented rate, projected to increase from $67 billion in 2021 to more than $256 billion by 2028. With low-voltage infrastructure as the foundation of smart buildings, design and deployment of that infrastructure is more important than ever. This expert panel discussion with a moderator is designed to provide ICT design and installation professionals with the strategies they need to seize the opportunity and achieve success."

"Lowering Job-site Costs Associated with Fiber Testing of High-Speed Channels”
Tues 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. presented by Robert Reid, Panduit
Description: "In-field fiber test methods and field practice have strong impacts on measurement accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility and ultimately the test failure rates associated with field test. This becomes a more pressing problem in the light of "engineered links" that rely on ultra-loss connectivity elements and the need to validate such in the field to manufacturers specifications, thus assuring application performance. Important questions addressed in this presentation are:

• What is the proper methodology to assure that a customer application(s) will run over the tested cable plant?
• What is the most capable and accurate measurement methodology for higher speed multimode and single-mode links?
• What is the industry's best practice to assure that the frequency of measurement errors is minimized, saving time and money?
• Use cases for testing cable plant supporting higher speed applications are presented along case-studies of field testing where things didn't go so well and best practices for assuring the minimization of test errors."

“Ahead of the Curve: New High-Density and Dust Insensitive Fiber Optic Connector Technology Innovations”
Weds 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. presented by Sean Kelly (Light Brigade) and Brian Teague (Senko Advanced Components)
Description: "This presentation will address the recent advancements in higher density and dust insensitive fiber connectivity. Our industry really hasn’t seen an entirely new connector footprint in the past 20+ years. Multiple new and emerging connector footprints that increase density, streamline topologies, and simplify installation, and maintenance are coming to market. We will also look at new and innovative approaches to dust insensitive multi-fiber connectivity and cleaning and inspection of non-dust insensitive single and multifiber connectivity."

“If You Thought Ribbon Was for Data Centers Only – Think Again!”
Weds. 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. presented by Lucas Mays (AFL)
Description: The global smart building market is growing at an unprecedented rate, projected to increase from $67 billion in 2021 to more than $256 billion by 2028. With low-voltage infrastructure as the foundation of smart buildings, design and deployment of that infrastructure is more important than ever. This expert panel discussion with a moderator is designed to provide ICT design and installation professionals with the strategies they need to seize the opportunity and achieve success.

“Everything You Need to Know About MPO Links Testing Best Practices”
Weds. 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. presented by Guillaume Lavallee (EXFO)
Virtual Session: Working with MPO-terminated cabling systems brings forth challenges for many technicians. This presentation will cover the best practices for handling, inspecting, and cleaning of MPO connector endfaces and highlights the consequences of damaged or dirty multifiber connectors. It will also cover Tier-1 certification of MPO links.

TIA FOTC members are leading fiber cable, component and electronics companies. TIA says FOTC represents technology leaders committed to providing the most current, reliable, and vendor neutral information about fiber optics and related technologies for advancing new and better communications solutions.

Members include: