INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cabling
Cabling market outlook 2020:
Insights into developments in
public, data centre and LAN
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Reichle & De-Massari (R&M), the globally active Swiss developer
and provider of cabling systems for high-quality network
infrastructures, presents its market outlook for 2020. Nabil
Khalil, Executive Vice-President of R&M Middle East, Turkey and
Africa, provides us with the second part of his insights.
U
ntil relatively recently, the public,
data centre and LAN cabling
segments existed side by side with
little overlap. However, as market segments
keep merging, this separation will all but
disappear. These are the trends that we can
look forward to in the year ahead.
Telecom networks trend #2:
Fast and cost-effective: WDM
and blown microfibre
Wavelength-Division-Multiplexing (WDM)
transmits different services at different
wavelengths, cost-effectively increasing
capacity without introducing vast amounts of
new fibre. Send and receiving multiple signals,
instead of just one, effectively increases fibre
capacity. Add-drop multiplexer solutions allow
extraction of a small number of connections,
for example in small cell deployment, while
allowing the rest to continue.
A well-designed solution should
accommodate all current and near-future
requirements, offer a lower cost per
connection than existing platforms, and
provide a pay-as-you-grow approach and
flexible upgrade path for years to come.
Initial investment in cabling can be kept to
a minimum, with the possibility to upgrade
and expand the FTTx /Access network when
required. Furthermore, Air Blown Fibre (ABF)
makes it possible to blow fibre into tubes only
when needed, reducing cost and boosting
design flexibility, and eliminating the need for
splicing and interconnection points.
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creation of edge infrastructures that extend
and support centralised structures with
computing power at the Edge of the network.
Popular content and applications are cached
closer to less densely networked markets,
improving performance and experience.
Telecom networks trend #3:
Leveraging 5G Data centre networks trend #2:
High density
Wider availability of fibre and 5G will
bring demand for a wide range of new
products and applications, such as hidden or
camouflaged antennas, PoE-equipped devices
and solutions for bridging short distances.
Low-latency connectivity will support
everything from self-driving cars to remote
healthcare services, machine communication,
Smart City services and extended mobile
communication such as UHD, AR, smart
home and high-speed Internet. A high-density solution can boost capacity
and increase available space while preparing
for the future. You can start off with a single
rack unit and grow as required. As high-density
infrastructure runs hotter, cooling is essential.
Data centre networks trend #1:
Greater importance of the Edge
Owing to inherent limitations of wireless
solution, fibre is required to successfully cable
and connect billions of sensors, enabling
extremely high, uninterrupted, low-latency
symmetrical bandwidth. Data transmission
and processing requirements are driving the
Nabil Khalil, Executive Vice-President of RM
Middle East Turkey and Africa
Cabling shouldn’t restrict airflow. As cables
are more difficult to grip and manipulate
in densely packed racks, it becomes harder
to see what you’re doing. The risk of
damage and faulty connections increases.
It is definitely worth investing in racks
and panels specially developed for higher-
density solutions.
Data centre networks trend
#3: Automated Infrastructure
Management (AIM)
Today’s data centres may contain tens or
hundreds of thousands of ports and patch
cords. Network operation automation is
on the agenda as hardware and software
solutions are required to unburden humans
and boost efficiency.
AIM solutions facilitate management of
increasingly large and complex infrastructures,
represented in a consistent single database.
This provides real-time insight into resources
such as server ports, cabinet space and
energy requirements. These solutions vastly
improve efficiency of operation, utilisation
and administration, while reducing incident
resolution time and downtime. n
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