FOTC Standards Explorer

Standards are the backbone of ICT. While the adoption of industry-standard practices and principles has always been essential to ensure compliance, performance and the support of future applications, exploding data rates and the need for reliable network performance make it even more important for manufacturers, network designers, installers and other ICT professionals to understand and implement the latest standards.

Recognizing that many users find standards information to be confusing, hard to find and difficult to stay up to date on changes, the TIA’s Fiber Optics Technology Consortium (FOTC) has created the FOTC Standards Explorer, a free online database that serves as a resource for anyone who wants to learn more about multimode and single-mode media, infrastructure, and application standards.

Phase I and Phase II of the Standards Explorer, which is already available here, supports a complete library of IEEE 802.3 multimode and single-mode applications, from 1000BASE-SX to developing 800GBASE-SR8. The web resource is easy to navigate with an unparalleled collection of pertinent application summary information (e.g., speed, reach and number of fibers), network interface descriptions, optical fiber cabling characteristics, and key application capability information. Content on the Standards Explorer will be updated as Standards and projects evolve.

Phase III, which will be released in Q4 2023, will cover TIA media and infrastructure standards.

The FOTC’s goals with the Standards Explorer are to increase Standards awareness, provide resource accessibility to all companies and individuals and support compatible network architectures and cabling infrastructure deployments between all users across all platforms. The information on the Standards Explorer will aid designers with planning, consultants with understanding emerging technologies, installers with best practices, end users with cabling specification decisions, and manufacturers with product compliance.

The FOTC has long been recognized as a source of reliable, peer-reviewed, vendor-neutral information concerning optical fiber networks and associated technologies. FOTC’s membership consists of leading fiber optic cable, component and electronics manufacturers committed to advancing faster and more efficient ICT solutions. The consortium’s mission emphasizes optical fiber media, testing, application and technology education through development of white papers, webinars and other learning resources and participation in industry conferences. By bringing current standards information to the industry in a free, easily accessible format, the FOTC hopes to make it easier for its constituents in the evolving deployment of fiber-based networks.

Current members of the FOTC, who have sponsored the development of the Standards Explorer include AFL, AEM, Belden, CommScope, Corning, EXFO, Fluke, Legrand, Light Brigade, OFS, Panduit, Senko, the Siemon Company, Sumitomo, Superior Essex and Viavi Solutions. We are especially grateful to the Siemon Company for sharing with us the information that was originally published on the Standards Informant, which will allow us to integrate TIA Standards into the tool more quickly.