The infrastructure of data communications networks needs lots of fiber, semiconductors, and network equipment to bring data to the masses. Optical data networks form the backbone of today’s communications. Data centers, which seem to dominate any discussion of digital communications, depend heavily on fiber-optic connections from a few meters to many kilometers. Getting those bits…

At OFC 2022, OIF demonstrated products from several companies communicating with each other based on a standard for interoperable coherent optics. Other demonstrations included a 112 Gb/sec electrical link, flexible Ethernet, co-packaging, and a 224 Gb/sec technology proposal.

5G is bringing higher bandwidth to mobile users, which pushes more data on the optical networks. Optical networks need greater capacity and more flexibility. Every mobile phone user expects 5G to let them download movies faster and more reliably than LTE networks. Plus, 5G will open the door to new use cases we haven’t conceived…

Like all technologies, 5G needs more that just the “glamor” components such as baseband ICs, RFICs, and phased-array antennas. Interconnects can make or break a design, and 5G is no exception. So, besides giving birth to active devices, 5G has also spawned a need for connectors. To that end, TE Connectivity has developed the ERFV…