Why might your optical network need fibre characterisation? Well, you can gain a great deal of useful information from a fibre characterisation exercise on your optical network, whether you are operating at 10Gb/s or 100Gb/s+. An optical network uses complex technologies to transmit ever higher volumes of data over physical fibre optic cabling and infrastructure. The interactions between the systems aspects of the network and the actual physical infrastructure are critical, so the more you know the better.
Fibre characterisation for 10Gb/s optical networks
Data rates at 10Gb/s and above on direct detection systems have tight limits on the amount of chromatic dispersion and PMD allowed. DWDM and CWDM systems use more wavelengths so you need to know about the infrastructure performance at those wavelengths.
Fibre characterisation for 100Gb/s+ optical networks
At 100Gb/s+ then even more of the fibre and physical infrastructure parameters can have an impact on system performance, particularly when Raman amplifiers are deployed. Coherent systems may have the ability to compensate electronically for some dispersion, but there are still limits, and you will be able to optimise and enhance your system design if you have detailed knowledge of all aspects of the fibre infrastructure.
At OTT we build this dual “systems and infrastructure” perspective into all our courses, so that you benefit from the big picture, rather than being solely focused on one part of the equation.
So, on the Certified Fibre Characterisation Engineer (CFCE) course not only will you learn how to test the fibre links thoroughly in accordance with the ITU G.650.3 Recommendation and relevant IEC International Standards, you’ll also be able to analyse the results of the tests to assess the ability of the link to support different applications and technologies.
And on the Certified Optical Network Associate (CONA) course we include and overview of fibre characterisation tests so that you know what results you should expect to receive.