The Certified Fibre Characterisation Engineer (CFCE) course is designed for test engineers who need to learn how to apply the full power of multi-purpose test platforms, with their powerful array of measurement capabilities, to carry out full fibre characterisation (fiber characterization), including bi-directional OTDR testing, chromatic dispersion, Polarisation Mode Dispersion (PMD) and spectral attenuation measurements.
You will learn to deal with issues such as extended wavelength operation & the impact on testing on systems including ROADMS & Raman amplifiers. You’ll be able to process the results swiftly and efficiently, using test report software, to provide full system documentation. And by appreciating all the issues behind the tests you will be able to assess link performance intelligently against application support criteria. You’ll get hands-on experience using specially constructed test rigs, a comprehensive course manual which is a great reference resource, as well as access to additional online resources including review questions to help you revise. You’ll usually work with another delegate to complete a practical assignment and you’ll also need to pass a short theory assessment.
Is it the right course for you or your team?
In todays demanding telecoms arena it can be critical to be able to show the true performance capability of installed fibre links. Many factors can impair system performance. As a fibre provider, you may need to be able to prove that your long distance fibre infrastructure can support high data rate applications, as well as extended wavelength range operation for DWDM and CWDM systems. As a customer you may need to be able to analyse and assess test and reporting data provided to you, so that you can be certain your systems will run reliably.
The CFCE course will enable you to recognise why different tests are required and what information they should provide as well as how to carry them out. This course assumes that you have some previous experience of basic OTDR testing, but provides advanced OTDR training as well as CD and PMD training. It suits job roles such as: fibre optic test engineer; fibre optic test technician, optical fibre technical support; fiber optic test analyst; fibre network network project supervisor.
What will you be able to do after the course?
What makes the CFCE course unique?
The CFCE course was developed by an expert
The CFCE certification was developed & is up-dated and overseen by OTT’s Technical Director, Richard Ednay. Richard has over 30 years experience of fibre testing & characterisation. Richard wrote the definition of fibre characterisation in ITU G.650.3, and was project leader for the international IEC standards for loss measurement and for PMD on installed links.
There's plenty of hands-on
The CFCE course includes plenty of practical hands-on sessions using modern test equipment on specially constructed test rigs, as well as analysis exercises drawn from experience of real-world fibre characterisation. There is also a practical assignmment to complete to assure competence has been achieved.
The CFCE course has quality control
All CFCE courses run by OTT’s partners use OTT training materials and the assessments are verified by OTT before awarding the CFCE certificates. This direct control of the quality of the training, by the world’s leading technical authority on fibre characterisation, guarantees the best possible quality of training in fibre characterisation you can get.
What are the benefits of using a CFCE?
Fibre characterisation is essential because, now that telecoms systems and dark fibre contracts have become so complex, it is critical to know the real performance of installed fibre links. If you are commission testing, then based on the results of a fibre characterisation project, you may need to make decisions about equipment choices, whether remedial works are required, or even whether to accept or reject the fibres. There could be a lot at stake, so it is essential that the information that you get from the fibre characterisation is accurate and reliable. Lots of data is generated, with different types of traces and lots of numbers. By using a CFCE for your fibre characterisation you can be certain that you will get:
Correct tests
the full, correct, set of tests will be carried out on the fibres to provide comprehensive information
Correct equipment
the equipment used will be able to measure the required performance parameters of the links being tested
Valid, stored data
the data acquired in the field will be checked to ensure it is valid and is stored & documented correctly
Data analysis
the data will be analysed and interpreted to provide useful information about link performance
Then you will be able to make authoritative judgements regarding the quality of the infrastructure and whether the link/s will support particular applications. If fibre testing is carried out by inexperienced people, using simplified just press the green button equipment, or equipment that is not set up correctly, then problem areas can easily be overlooked, and important tests missed out. Some engineers may be experienced in one type of test but may not understand the full range of tests and their implications. Fully trained engineers will carry out all the tests methodically and pick up on any issues before they leave site and be able to decide what to do next. So if you need to be able to rely on the results of fibre characterisation, can you afford not to use a CFCE?
What do trainees say about the course?
Find a course
The CFCE course is currently delivered by OTT’s training delivery partners in the UK, Ireland, USA and New Zealand. It may be possible to arrange courses onsite for company groups located in other regions. Some of their dates will be listed here. If you’d like to keep up-to-date with future dates for this course then why not follow us on your preferred social media.
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