Optical fiber is one of the most significant technological innovations that has revolutionized the development of communications and mobile networks. This thin, transparent fiber, made of glass or plastic, allows light to travel long distances without significant signal loss. The use of optical fiber has grown exponentially in recent decades and its importance in communications and mobile networks is invaluable. The structure and function of optical fiber The optical fiber consists of three main parts: the core, the cladding and the coating. The core is the central part of the fiber optic fiber where light travels. There is the cladding around the core that reflects light back to the core, preventing it from escaping. This phenomenon is known as total reflection. The outer layer, the coating, protects the fiber from physical damage and moisture. Advantages of optical fiber Optical fiber has several advantages over traditional copper cables. First, optical fiber provides significantly higher bandwidth, which allows larger amounts of data to be transferred faster. Secondly, optical fiber is less susceptible to electromagnetic interference, which improves signal quality and reliability. In addition, optical fiber is lighter and thinner than copper cables, which makes it easier to install and maintain. The importance of optical fiber in communication Optical fiber has revolutionized communication by providing fast and reliable data transfer. It has replaced traditional copper cables for long-distance telephone lines and internet connections. Optical fiber makes it possible to transfer large amounts of data quickly and efficiently, which is essential in the modern information society. This has made it possible, for example, to develop high-speed Internet connections, cable television and telephone services. The role of optical fiber in mobile networks In mobile networks, optical fiber plays a key role. It connects base stations and switchboards, enabling large amounts of data to be transferred quickly and efficiently. This is particularly important for 5G networks, where data transfer speeds and capacity requirements are significantly higher than in previous generations. Optical fiber also enables a dense network of base stations, which is essential for the operation of 5G technology. Prospects The importance of optical fiber in communications and mobile networks will only increase in the future. As 5G networks expand and new applications are developed, the need for fast and reliable data transfer increases. Optical fiber offers a solution to this, and it will continue to play a key role in the future. In addition, the use of optical fiber is constantly expanding to new applications, such as medical devices and industrial sensors.
In July 2015 we founded a subsidiary in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The name of the company is NFOM (Naficon Fiber Optic Manufacturing) LLC. The production in NFOM started in February 2016. In April 2017 NFOM quality management system got ISO 9001 quality certification. The production facilities are in a quite modern industrial building and currently employs about 20 people. NFOM manufactures similar products as we do in Finland using the same materials, production equipment, and quality criteria. The production of pigtails, pigtail bundles, patch cords and pigtail cables for preinstalled panels have been transferred from Nauvo to Dubai. Certain products, like trunk cables for mobile masts, are still made from start to finish in Nauvo. The production of data center products based on MPO connectors is about to start as a new product group for NFOM. NFOM acts as both a production unit and a sales and marketing unit for products manufactured and brokered by Naficon throughout the Middle East and north Africa. Fiber optic cables play an essential role for the brokered products, which NFOM procures from different manufacturers, stores, and sells. The unit has obtained customers quite well in these few years. In addition to Dubai, deliveries have been made to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Somaliland. The deliveries have included fiber optic cables, pigtails, patch cords and panels. This year cross-connection cabinets and preinstalled modules from NAF1000 product group, NAF19 cross-connection cabinets, and data center products have been introduced and well received by the market. In addition to manufacturing and selling products, NFOM is implementing various installation projects related to fiber optic networks with its local partner Ambak Systems. With this activity, we strive to help and serve our customers as well as possible from design to installation. Projects have been carried out in addition to the United Arab Emirates in Saudi Arabia. One of the latest projects has been to supply microducts and microduct cables with installations to one of our partners in Dubai. The installations were carried out by micro trenching. We are very pleased with the operation of the Dubai subsidiary. This brings us great additional production volume for manufacturing standard products, especially. This enables us to focus on different kinds of assembly works in Nauvo and to produce custom made and ready assembled cables swiftly and flexibly. At the factory in Nauvo, the workload, and at the same time the number of employees, has not decreased and will not decrease, but we optimize the resources of both plants to operate as flexibly and efficiently as possible. The Dubai unit will also give us a foothold in the United Arab Emirates and its surrounding areas, as well as north Africa. With our current product range, we are able to supply all the materials of the fiber optic network to different customers, from cables to joint closures and coupling accessories, and if necessary, we can help customers from network design to installations. The economic outlook in that area is quite good, as a great deal of houses to entire cities are been built. At the same time, the aim is to build telecommunications networks to be as modern and high quality as possible. In this way, we see that the NFOM subsidiary will be an increasingly important factor for us. We have already gained a quite good market position and reputation from that direction. Time will tell how big this activity will develop over the years.
