BendBright and Cyber Security

Such operations can easily be conducted along the network when optical signals are not encrypted (which, as mentioned previously, represents the vast majority of transmission links) without noticeable disturbance to the transported traffic, or in joints or cabinets, where the fibres are extracted out from the cables to be spliced or routed (see Image 2). A new type of fibre, preserving all the key transmission characteristics of G.652.D fibres (hence fully securing the current capabilities of all existing transmission systems), was introduced just over a decade ago, to secure the light within the core of the fibre…even when bent. Such fibres – complying with the international ITU-T G.657.A2 standard – had initially been developed and introduced to secure access networks and Fibre to the Home (FTTH) networks, which were naturally more exposed to bends and corners. The intention was to limit any extra transmission losses generated by the leaks created under bending. These hardened fibres highly decrease the level of light escaping when bending, rendering hacking tools blind – with a lack of detected light it becomes more difficult to reconstruct the incoming signals. But, although initially developed for access networks, the later revision of the ITU-T G.657 standard (extending the application of G.657.A fibres to all parts of the network) soon meant that G.657.A fibres could be used for long distance transmissions, across the optical network. Worldwide single-mode fibre demand 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 G.652 G.657 predominant types are A2 and A1 G657 predominant types are A2 and A1. A2 presents a superior bending performance. A1 is an intermediate step between the A2 and a standard fibre Figure 3 Source: Internal analysis Image 2