Corning develops bendable fiber optic cable

Corning announced today that it has overcome a major roadblock in the proliferation of fiber optic lines around the world (or at least where Verizon wants to pay to put them in). For years, providers have been struggling against a deficiency in fiber optic cable which causes the pipe to vent light when bent or curved, or lose it entirely if twisted too far. Now, however, researchers at Corning have developed a new variant to keep data moving: tiny, nanostructure "guardrails" that surround the fiber's core. The "rails" keep light from seeping out, yet are flexible enough to be wound around a pencil while delivering a signal at full strength. Corning hasn't put the piping into production yet, but when it does, Verizon says it's ready to use it -- which means pretty soon we're all going to be talking like that annoying kid from the FiOS commercials.

[Thanks, Larence M]

[J @ Jul 24th 2007 4:05PM]

Wow! Great news for all fiber consumers, not just Verizon. This is very much a breakthrough in a very old field. Kudos, Corning.

[Scott @ Jul 24th 2007 4:24PM]

More annoying is that I get FIOS commercials, FIOS junk mail, FIOS mall kiosks, and airplanes towing FIOS banners around my neighborhood (Los Angeles area.) However, according to Verizon, it's not available.

[Blayne @ Jul 24th 2007 4:27PM]

Annoying? The kid in those commercials is great! He always makes me laugh.

[christian @ Jul 24th 2007 4:33PM]

verizon is using this already they just put the fios cables under the sidewalk on my street the other day. They didn't have to rip it up either becuase they can bend it now, thats what the guy working told me at least.

[Chris @ Jul 24th 2007 6:31PM]

You've always been able to bend it, just not to the point of wrapping it around a pencil. They ran normal fibre underground about 1.5 years ago in my old neighborhood. They ran it to my new house from the telephone pole and it have a loop at our house which is over 1ft in diameter. Again, possible without this tech.

[Matt B @ Jul 24th 2007 4:58PM]

This is great for the Corning area. I live about 15 minutes from Corning, NY. When the fiber optic market dropped, it killed Corning's stock. I think it went from $300+ to less than $5 a share within a matter of weeks. There were massive layoffs in the area. I hope many of those people are called back to work.

[Allan @ Jul 24th 2007 10:55PM]

I live in and work for Corning right now. Business is definitely better (though I wasn't here when the bottom fell out before). And this time it's not all dependent on one market (though LCD glass is huge). We have the LCD glass, auto/diesel catalytic converter substrates, and fiber... among a few other things too. But it's at least spread out a little now. And I think the stock went down to around $2 back in 2001. Something like that.

[smurph @ Jul 25th 2007 4:01PM]

Matt B, I hate to inform you that the reason for all the layoffs were not because of the fiber optic department at Corning. Corning made many layoffs near 2001 because of company wide cut backs dealing with many reasons (and departments). This is awesome news for fiber optics but nothing that will catapult Corning Inc. as a whole.

[OddManOut @ Jul 24th 2007 5:53PM]

So I could could play 'Cat's Cradle' with this stuff and have hundreds of gigabits of data pouring through my fingers every second, huh ?


I find the concept strangely appealing...

[BananaBoat @ Jul 24th 2007 6:12PM]

Too bad SBC/AT&T has no plans to implement fiber. Seems like this would make it alot easier, but there is almost no chance of it coming =/

[ethana2 @ Jul 24th 2007 7:05PM]

Wake me up when Korean ISP's aren't making us all look like idiots anymore...

[unkone @ Jul 24th 2007 9:25PM]

wish they would develop fiber in the bay area.

[whoindatgarden @ Jul 25th 2007 7:44AM]

FiOS or FTTH or U Verse all use a Fiber cable to bring data to the house or to a junction box.
The cost is not in the fiber or in the issues around bend-ability of the fiber, as one of the comments points out they do a loop and it still works fine, possibly this evolution of the fiber cable at Corning enhances and provides a better QoS.
The biggest cost still is the stack that one has to deploy at either end of the Fiber cable in converting the digital signal to a light signal and back.
Currently for Verizon it is approximately $1200 per residence to roll out this service and in larger cities like NYC or LA the costs go up significantly.
For a Telco like Verizon deploying Fiber is not necessarily to increase revenues but a matter of survival. They are investing $2Billion a year over the course of the next 10 years to offer this service, for the investments being made there is not much appreciation in market value for Verizon or any other Telco.
Cable companies offer the speeds and the ability to provide High Def Television, Voice and Data and for a Telco it is a matter of survival. Thus stocks will not appreciate for the infrastructure upgrades they are having to make as it may very well not bring in any additional revenues.
Possibly we shall have an enlightened FCC and make it fair to all who may want to provide services to the Consumer and not be part of a protectionist Corporate structure that presently exists.

[Bob @ Jul 25th 2007 8:43AM]

I wish i could get fiber i live down the street from the co and i still can't get it

[Timtimes @ Jul 25th 2007 9:21AM]

No fiber in your neighborhood? Hell, they've got Fiber to the premises in ROXIE MS, Population 550.

Details: http://thetimtimes.com/?p=83

[akiyba @ Jul 25th 2007 3:39PM]

If it makes you feel any better I can't even get broadband. According to Embarq, DSL will never be in my area. And Comcast says they have no plans to service my area. There is a crappy local cable company that charges $80 a month for 1Mbit down but they end service one block from my house and also have no plans to expand coverage. I'm moving next year.