Birch Technical Services adds multi-core fibre testing with MT9100A
Image: Anritsu
Anritsu has announced that UK installation specialist Birch Technical Services has invested in its Multi Channel Fiber Tester MT9100A, becoming the first installation contractor in the EMEA region to own the instrument. The purchase extends Birch's existing fibre network design, installation, fusion splicing, testing and certification work into multi-core fibre.
Multi-core fibre carries several independent optical cores within a single cladding, using space division multiplexing to increase transmission capacity. This architecture introduces a need to measure inter-core crosstalk alongside conventional optical transmission characteristics such as attenuation and return loss.
Anritsu's MT9100A addresses this with single-ended testing, removing the need for an operator or measurement instrument at the far end of the link. The instrument simultaneously measures attenuation loss, return loss and crosstalk across up to four connected cores, which Anritsu says improves efficiency compared with sequential power-meter testing. It includes automatic pass/fail judgement to support troubleshooting, and is built as a portable, battery-powered unit intended for both laboratory and field use.
Frame Communications, Anritsu's distributor for the UK and Ireland, provided engineering-led pre-sales and on-site support during the sale.
"Multi-core fiber has huge potential, but making it practical to deploy means giving engineers the right tools to test and troubleshoot it. That's exactly where the MT9100A fits. We can support customers not just with the technology, but with the knowledge and training needed to use it effectively," said Sophie Barc, UK & Ireland Director Sales at Anritsu.
"Our engineers have spent years getting fiber characterization right on conventional networks, and multi-core is the next step. Being the first installation contractor in the EMEA region with the MT9100A puts us in a position to support customers as their multi-core requirements come through, rather than waiting for the market to arrive," said Matt Birch, Director, Birch Technical Services.
For Birch Technical Services, the purchase provides a basis for developing measurement workflows and field experience with multi-core fibre ahead of wider deployment of the technology.
