2013 FTTH LATAM Conference Review

The 2013 FTTH LATAM Conference in Brazil was a resounding success. Organized by the FTTH Council Committee, of which EXFO is a proud board member, this event is home to a series of conferences, seminars and workshops that cover a wide range of technical and operational subjects focusing on the benefits of fiber-network deployment. 

I had the chance to be part of the Technology for Revenue Generation and Value Addition panel, during
which I presented the Revolution in FTTH Testing to Accelerate Revenue Generation session. Among other topics, I introduced EXFO's Intelligent Optical Link Mapper (iOLM), in both versions – stand-alone and remote, which uses automated multipulse acquisitions and advanced algorithms to deliver detailed information on every element in a link, in a single-button operation.

Since the need for speed in Latin America is ever-increasing, FTTH deployment is a hot topic for telecom operators who are seeking new ways to operate their services, be proactive and ensure a fast return on investment. However, as in any new deployment, this requires the hiring of many new technicians who have little to no experience. This can be costly because they will require training and given the number of fibers to test, operators need ways to avoid incorrect diagnostics and characterizations that could lead to failures and additional truck rolls, therefore reduce OPEX.

At the EXFO booth, which we shared with AGC Netcom (our distributor), our Link-Aware™ technology and its latest solution, our iOLM fiber and testing solution, our Node iOLM fiber monitoring solution as well as our new FTTH PON reference guide attracted many visitors from all over Latin America, including Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico.

From EXFO’s perspective, FTTH LATAM was a great event. We not only had the opportunity to give educational training, we also shared technical knowledge as part of our mission to promote FTTH deployment.