Fiber’s Thin and Flexible Plan

As the production of fiber continues to increase, so do improvements to its physical properties. Service providers are buying more quantities of bendable fiber and looking towards the next generation of 200-micron fiber which will provide increased density and likely reduce material usage. “If you break it down, you’ll see that [North America] fiber demand has tripled since 2015,” said Greg Williams, Business Unit Director, Fiber Cable Systems, Prysmian Group. “And it’s doubled since 2018. We’re seeing steady growth year-over-year at an annual compound growth rate of 14% from 2013 to 2022.” Over the next seven years, Prysmian Group projects growth to continue at a rate of 7-10%. Projections include a slight dip in 2023 due to broadband providers working down their inventory from “panic-buying” in 2022 as a response to supply chain shortages. Over 50% of the fiber being purchased is Bend Insensitive Fiber (BIF), as defined under ITU G.657 standards, and Williams expects that amount to increase over time. “Fiber is not a technology where you just lay the cable straight and it’s always straight,” Williams said. “It bends during deployment. It bends through the lifetime of the installation. Whether it's indoors or outdoors, you’re going up and down poles, you’re making right and left turns, you’re avoiding grandma’s flower beds, fire hydrants, you name it.”