One of the biggest challenges that colleges and universities face is the ever-increasing demand for bandwidth. With the BYOD mentality that most campuses face today,

the ability to provide easy access to information and to communicate no matter where you are is essential. Campus life no longer dictates reliable Internet service just in the classroom. Now it is required everywhere. As the amount of data and file sizes increase, as well as the need for real-time video and OTA capabilities, the need for increased bandwidth becomes critical. Not to mention the growing need for network and campus security to protect people and property. These increased demands are driving the need for innovative copper and optical fiber cabling technologies that are able to ensure reliable performance and faster data rates.

By implementing a Passive Optical LAN system, higher education facilities can reap the benefits of a streamlined, high-bandwidth network architecture while saving both time and money. Universities cannot afford the downtime associated with rewiring in order to provide greater bandwidth to their students.  Passive Optical LAN systems utilize single-mode fiber optic cable.  Single-mode fiber optic cable provides the greatest bandwidth compared to any other communications medium available on the market today.  At a very economical cost compared to a traditional network infrastructure, Passive Optical LANs minimize the need for future cabling upgrades.

Not only can Passive Optical LANs support telephone, data and video services but they can also service security, building automation systems and wireless services.   Other structured cabling solutions necessitate more cables and/or electronics to support the services now required on a modern campus.   The added savings of not having to install the necessary plethora of cables to support these additional electronics, shows that Passive Optical LANs are a much more inexpensive solution (both in capital and operational costs), saving the college both up front and year over year costs. And because of the utilization of single-mode fiber, they can expect their investment to payoff for years to come.

 

OCC’s newly developed Passive Optical LAN takes all those benefits and amplifies them to provide a reliable system that allows for effortless installations. Easy to install and manage, OCC’s POL offers a versatile system that affords substantial improvements in overall CAPEX and OPEX savings as well as streamlines current and future upgrades.

To learn more about OCC’s Passive Optical LAN system, watch this short 2 minute video on all the unique benefits POL has to offer: Click here.

With the exceedingly prevalent use of data, the growth of wireless access points, IP-enabled devices and building automation systems has jumped exponentially.  Cameras and other security equipment are now being connected to the network as these devices move from analog to digital or Ethernet based.

This growth has created a need to change the way typical horizontal links and channels are configured for these applications. Devices such as wireless access points mounted in non-traditional locations (in the ceiling or high up on the wall) are not attached to the network using standard faceplate, jack and patch cord configurations.  The traditional method is being replaced with direct attachment where the horizontal cable is terminated with a field installable plug and then plugged directly into the equipment.

Currently, installers in the field are utilizing modular plugs that are intended for patch cord construction to terminate Cat5e and Cat6 horizontal cabling. This practice is difficult, time consuming, yields unpredictable performance results and is not recommended by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) 568 standards. Also, these plugs do not accommodate the larger conductors utilized in Cat6A cabling. The increasing data rates of wireless access points and other devices now require a Cat6A cabling link to support 10G Ethernet.

While the TIA-568 communications cabling standard does not currently support direct attach links, the growing demand for field installable plugs has many industry standards such as TIA-862-A, Building Automation Systems Cabling Standard looking to recognize the direct attach method of termination.   However, the need for a robust, easy to install field terminable plug for this market segment that provides true performance is imperative.

OCC has addressed this need with the introduction of a Category 6A Field Terminable Plug.   With OCC’s new plug, terminations are simple and require no specialized tools.  They support high-performance 10 Gigabit networks and meet the TIA-568-C.2 Category 6A component performance requirements.  In addition, they are supported by OCC’s 25-year MDIS Direct Attach System Performance Warranty when used as an end-to-end OCC copper cabling solution.

For more information about OCC’s Field Terminable Plug, click on the links below:

• Product Information

OCC’s MARS cable reels are the industry’s first lightweight cable deployment reel system designed specifically for the demanding needs of harsh-environment fiber optic installations. The MARS reel is a lightweight, modular system constructed of an impact modified polymer that is easily transported and is ideal for applications where cable needs to be deployed and retrieved quickly and stored efficiently.

The MARS reel system has recently been issued National Stock Numbers (NSN’s) from the United States Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The NSN indicates a review and approval for use within the military’s logistics supply chain. US military services, the Department of Defense (DoD), disposition services, federal agencies (such as GSA, FAA, DHS, etc.), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and many governments around the world use NSNs. To achieve this status, the MARS reels underwent strict qualification testing to the U.S. Army CECOM Specification A336463A, resulting in the following:

• Performance: The cable reel stores and allows for the deployment and retrieval of fiber optic cable assemblies in a variety of environmental and mechanical conditions without damaging or affecting performance of these assemblies.
• Materials: The reel flanges are made from light-weight, durable, and non-porous material that meets the fiber optic cable assembly requirements specified in CECOM drawings A3159863, A3159864, and A3302584. The flanges and handles, excluding the attached
hardware and drum, are fabricated from non-conductive materials. All parts are non-rusting.
• Finish: Colors include, but not limited to, Black, (Desert) Tan 33446 and Olive Drab 34088 as identified in table 3 of FED-STD-595. The finish is lusterless, non-reflective, and fade-resistant.
• Field Transportable: The reel is designed to enable ease of transport by grasping the flange frame at multiple points with a single bare or gloved hand.
• Connector Storage: The reel is capable of securely storing fiber optic connectors within the drum of the reel without need for tools for removal or storage of the connectors.
• Operation: The reel design easily supports deployment or retrieval of fiber optic cable in either manual or automated modes. A folding handle is available for manual cable retrieval. The modular design allows operation on a simple axle or with any number of cable reel accessories. MARS accommodates either round or square drive acles and reeling machines.
• Stacking: The reels are capable of being vertically stacked securely to a height of 5 feet without deforming, distorting or damaging any of the reels.
• Testing: Operating Temperature, Storage Temperature, Temperature – Humidity Cycling, Cold Drop Test, Flammability and Vibration

In addition to meeting the specification requirements in CECOM’s A336463A, the MARS reels underwent user evaluation by the U.S. Army Signal School at Fort Gordon, Georgia in 2012 to determine if the product could withstand day-to-day use. Signal classes utilized the reel for communications exercises as well as conducted their own endurance and confidence testing. The Signal School evaluators offered high praise for significant weight reduction and increased ruggedness and durability over standard steel reels. The MARS reels are currently specified on multiple U.S. Army and Marine Corps cable assembly drawings and specifications. With the assignment of NSN’s to the MARS family of reels, U.S. and allied defense agencies will be able to specify and acquire the specific model of reel or reels required to satisfy their mission requirements.

Optical Cable Corporation Wins Presidential “E” Award for Export Contributions

According to a recent release by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the United States’ nominal GDP was estimated to be $16.8 trillion for 2013. Of that number, U.S. exports of goods and services accounted for $2.3 trillion, or nearly 14 percent, which is an all-time record.

Nationally, jobs supported by exports reached more than 11 million last year, up 1.6 million since 2009.

Every year, the Presidential “E” Award is presented to businesses that considerably contribute to exports, in recognition of the impact international sales has on the U.S. economy,

On May 27, 2014, Optical Cable Corporation (OCC) was one of 66 companies selected as a winner of the “E” award.

“OCC is extremely proud of this award,” Neil Wilkin, OCC President and CEO said. “It takes an entire team from engineers, to production employees, to both inside and outside sales associates to continually work together to support our export business. Dealing with the language, business and cultural issues of doing business internationally is sometimes a challenge, but it’s a challenge our team happily takes on to help OCC succeed.”

History of the Award

In 1961, the President’s “E” Award was created by Executive Order in an effort to recognize outstanding U.S. businesses that greatly contribute to international export.

The idea for the award was born from something that occurred during World War II, when more than 4,000 “E Pennants” were presented to war plants in recognition of production excellence. The famous flag with the big “E” emblazoned on it became a badge of patriotism in action, and is now flown by those who win.

President Kennedy revived the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America’s exporters. Thus, the “E” Award Program was established by Executive Order 10978 on December 5, 1961.

From Humble Beginnings to International Leader

Although OCC has sold products internationally from the very beginning, having shipped their first product overseas in 1986, a more strategic focus on the export market began in 1996. Since then, the company developed a targeted global approach, which has led to progressive growth through international sales. Today, export sales account for about 30 percent of the company’s total revenues, and since 2002, export sales have grown from less than $10 million to more than $22 million.

When asked his thoughts on receiving the “E” Award, OCC Vice President of International Sales & Global Marketing, Michael Newman said, “Achieving success internationally is all about taking a mindful approach to targeted markets; rather than trying to be everywhere at once. Start by narrowing in on global regions that make the most sense for your company, and then refine that strategy as you grow.”

Encouraged by this achievement, OCC will strive to serve more customers internationally, bringing the most reliable, rugged, and innovative cable products to the rest of the world.

To learn more about OCC’s products visit, https://www.occfiber.com/products.

 

 

OCC recently debuted our newly redesigned fiber termination enclosures with a fresh look and features that make them easier to work with. The updated enclosures allow for easier terminations, greater capacity, and new ways to manage cable within the enclosure.

Designed with features that benefit both the end user and the installer, OCC’s enclosures feature the following:

• Fixed (RTC) and sliding (RTS) versions
• 1RU, 2RU, and 4RU configurations
• Sliding (RTS) version can be accessed from the front or back of the enclosure
• The RTS shelf can be removed entirely
• Enclosures accept OCC standard 600 series adapter plates
• RTC-HD and RTS-HD enclosures accept new HD adapter plates
• New modular strain relief brackets reduce fiber stress and provides
• Fiber hoops are stackable and allow for segregation of fiber cables
• Fiber retention teeth on the hoops retain the fiber within the hoop
• Slam latches on the front and rear of the enclosures
• Transparent cover for inspection of ports and defined labeling field for TIA 606A compliance
• Hardware for 19” or 23” rack mounting
• Numerous internal locations to secure slack cable

The RTC and RTS enclosures will be on display at the 2014 BICSI Winter Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, FL in February.

 

As network infrastructures grow to encompass increased building automation, IP devices, and wireless access points, the need for communications components that meet these demands also grows. OCC’s Cat 6A Shielded Solution can provide 10-Gig performance and mitigate the EMI issues that come with running large amounts of cables for higher bandwidth applications. Our high performance cabling and connectivity products ensure the data within the cable will be protected from EMI, resulting in higher speeds and better data transmission.

Features & Benefits:

• OCC Cat 6A shielded jacks, patch panels, UFTP cable, and shielded cable assemblies provide a tuned system that guarantees ISO and TIA Category 6A compliance
• OCC’s new shielded modular jack with tool-less design is easy to terminate and provides reliable field terminations
• OCC shielded Cat 6A patch panels are an all-steel construction that ensures panel rigidity and offer high density configurations
• OCC UFTP Cat 6A cable offers individual shielding for all four twisted pairs ensuring EMI and RF mitigation with guaranteed 10GBASE-T performance
• OCC K6AS jacks and patch panels combined with OCC Cat6A U/FTP copper cabling and Cat 6A shielded patch cords form an end-to-end Cat 6A channel backed by OCC’s 25-year MDIS system performance warranty.

This week’s blog comes from Jamey Calloway, Product Management Specialist

The growth of wireless access points and other IP-enable devices, such as surveillance cameras and building automation devices has created a need to change the way typical horizontal links and channels are configured for these applications. Devices such as wireless access points mounted in non-traditional locations (in the ceiling or high up on the wall) are not attached to the network using standard faceplate/jack and patch cord. The traditional method is being replaced with direct attachment where the horizontal cable is terminated with a field installable plug and then plugged directly into the equipment (See Figure 1).

Another market driving the direct attach method is IP surveillance and building automation systems. Total building automation and controls system is expected to be a $50 billion market by 2018.  Cameras and other security devices are also connecting to the network without the standard faceplate/jack connection point.  The security market is experiencing significant growth as more security devices are migrating from analog to digital (Ethernet based).  These security devices are even being added to the network via the direct attach method in existing commercial space where the computer network is not growing.

Currently, installers in the field are utilizing modular plugs that are intended for patch cord construction to terminate Cat5e and Cat6 cabling. This practice is difficult, time consuming, yields unpredictable performance results and is not recommended by the TIA-568 standards. Also, these plugs do not accommodate the larger conductors utilized in Cat6A cabling. The increasing data rates of wireless access points and other devices now require a Cat6A cabling link to support 10G Ethernet. The latest IEEE 802.11ac wireless standard under development supports a theoretical data throughput of 6.9Gbps.

Clearly, the best method is to utilize Field Terminable Plugs designed specifically for field installation and to support Cat5e, 6, and 6A cabling infrastructure.  These plugs feature a robust design for field installation, require no specialized tooling and the termination procedures are very similar to many tool-less modular jacks in the market. Due to growing demand and emergence of field installable plugs, industry standards such as TIA-862-A, Building Automation Systems Cabling Standard and BICSI-005D, Electronic Safety and Security (ESS) System Design now recognize the direct attach method of termination.

As the global PC market continues to decline (3.5% global market decline in 2012) and wireless-only devices, such as tablets (expected to grow 70% in 2013) and smart phones continue to grow, the demand for direct attached connectivity will also expand in order to support the wireless infrastructure for these devices. It is undeniable that the future enterprise networks will be a combination of wired and wireless connectivity.  It is imperative that industry standards and practices keep pace with a changing market.

To keep pace, OCC plans to release a Field Terminable Plug this coming fall 2013. While these products are still in development, it is important to recognize the growing demand for field terminable hardware and the applications where our pending product line will fit.

The oil and gas industry has seen explosive growth in the technology they implore to find, drill, extract, and process these fossil fuels; which makes for a multitude of opportunities for OCC products. If you have questions about specific applications or products to meet the oil and gas industry, please contact us today for assistance!

Becoming a registered user on OCC’s website can give you several great benefits you won’t receive by just perusing our website.  Even though all of our product brochures, industry brochures and other forms of literature are available on our website for anyone to see, did you know that you have to be a registered user in order to download or print any of those documents?  That means as a customer, you can get the information that you need faster and with little hassle– and more importantly, without having to contact your sales rep!

Another feature of becoming a registered user is having access to the OCC’s Events Page.  As many of you know, OCC exhibits at several major trade shows each year.  By becoming a registered user, you can see all the upcoming shows that OCC will be exhibiting at during the course of the year and can take advantage of visiting us at these venues

Lastly, after you go through the process of becoming a registered user and is approved, every time you log-in to the OCC website you will see a personalized screen with the current ISR and OSR for your particular region—making contacting your rep simpler than ever!

More access to OCC’s content, information on where OCC will be throughout the year, and a personalized ‘Contact Us’ page are just some of the reasons why you should become a registered user with OCC.  Our Marketing Department is also constantly updating and expanding the information that is available to our registered users and has many new features that will be added over the next couple of months.  Check back soon for more information!

This week OCC is wrapping up the recent Fall BICSI 2012 Conference in Anaheim, CA. While this show tends to be the smaller of the two conferences that BICSI hosts each year, it did not go without OCC gaining significant attention to the new products we were showcasing.

The first product we showcased was our new Procyon copper solution. The biggest draw to the Procyon copper solution at the conference was its simplistic approach to high-density connectivity. With 48 ports in one rack unit coupled with pre-terminated cable assemblies, the Procyon copper solution was viewed as the simplest copper system to deploy in the data center. Every time we opened the Procyon cabinet, we reinforced OCC’s value to the customer: providing high performing products, reduced labor costs and ease of installation and access.

Our second featured product constantly drew a lot of attention and kept our sales team busy. The new 4G Cellular Distribution system (CDS) certainly brought a lot of people to the booth. It was perfect timing to introduce our new Distributed Antenna System (DAS) product. This was the first BICSI conference where DAS has taken center stage including a technical forum where the audience filled the room beyond capacity. OCC focused on selling the simplicity of our CDS kit, which consists of the CDS unit, antennas and surge suppression. A single customer summed up the general response from the attendees…’I did not know OCC could so easily solve our coverage problems’. In addition, we can supply the cable assemblies, making OCC a one-stop shop for the entire system. Similar to the Procyon solution, OCC promoted the value of the CDS product and how effectively it works within most environments.

Overall, while the show was less attended than most BICSI conferences, the overwhelming response to the products OCC showcased can be easily recognized.

-Submitted by Stephen Porach, Business Development Manager, Enterprise