5 industry trends driving innovation in cables for the 5G era
Prysmian Group’s Multimedia Solutions (MMS) unit is working to innovate its copper and fibre telecoms cables to stay on top of the infrastructure changes ushered in with 5G, explains Andreas Wassmuth, Business Development Director, MMS BU
What will indoor telecoms cables systems look like in 10 years?
What will indoor telecoms cables systems look like in 10 years?
Five digital transformation trends are driving innovations at Prysmian Group’s Multimedia Solutions (MMS) business unit, says Andreas Wassmuth, Business Development Director, MMS BU.
The digital transformation created by next generation 5G wireless communications is changing the world’s infrastructure needs. Cables are innovating to stay on top of this change. The ongoing challenge for Nuremburg-based Andreas Wassmuth and the BU’s team of engineers and researchers is to predict indoor infrastructure needs in ten years’ time enabling the Internet of Things and other new services.
MMS makes fibre and copper indoor cables for both fixed and mobile communications. They are used in data centres; in all kinds of venues (hospitals, stadiums, airports, universities); and in homes, offices and factories. These cables also support the rollout of 5G communications, which is poised for exponential growth. What industry trends are driving innovation at MMS as it stays on top of the challenges of digital transformation? First of all, the increase in bandwidth.
“The increase in bandwidth is why we have been moving from a Category 5 to a Cat6, 6A, 7 and 8,” he says. “It’s like building a highway which is big enough to cope with the needs of the traffic of the future.”
The second driver is high density, packing more transmission power into each cable so it is easier to install, more flexible to use, and more environmentally friendly.
“If you can drive this trend, it is a competitive advantage. I think we will see more and more regulation in the future that demands environmentally friendly products. And it will be reflected in our portfolio.”
Andreas Wassmuth
Business Development Director, MMS BU
Hybrid cables combining energy and signal transmission is a third key innovation driver, especially for data centres, which consume a lot of energy, says Wassmuth. Prysmian can supply both energy and data transmission in a single cable, be it copper or fibre.
Safety is a fourth key driver, for compliance with Construction Products Regulation (CPR) in Europe or UL in the United States.
“In every meeting in recent years, in every management plan, across R&D, especially in Europe, we always talk about CPR. Safety, in the building,” he says, adding that the integration with General Cable enables Prysmian Group engineers to understand both CPR and UL.
Lastly, designing these products to be easy to use is key.
“What we try to do is optimize the product for installation,” he explains. “For example, we are starting to sell our Cat6A cables in boxes instead of on spools, which makes installation easier and eliminates waste.”
It’s hard to predict what sort of cabling systems will be needed inside of buildings in 10 years’ time to support the energy, antennas and sensors needed to achieve the promises of 5G. But one thing’s for sure, says Wassmuth. No single company can drive innovation on its own.
“We try to work together with the customer, in the different segments, and understand what they need and where they are heading. That’s what the world requires right now,” he says.