Bend Optimized Multimode Fibers (2010)The current migration of optical fibers closer to and even into the home has increased service providers interests in new fibers with improved bending performance. After the successful introduction of low-bend SM fibers, several leading fiber manufacturers have recently launched bend-optimized versions of their premium high-bandwidth (OM3, OM4) Multimode fiber products, so as to reduce or even eliminate challenges encountered during fiber installations. To confirm their promises, we examined bend optimized OM3 fiber performances of different companies in real world conditions when compared to standard multimode fibers. The investigations proved that these bend-optimized fibers are good candidates for loss and bend critical applications (such as indoor wiring) because of their higher immunity to bending losses, without loosing performances or compatibility to other standard high-bandwidth multimode fibers.
