Press Releases

Fujikura Ltd. (Director, President and CEO Masahiko Ito) has received a letter of appreciation from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) in recognition of its contributions to the development and standardization of multi-core MPO connectors ^*1, which are the subject of NTT's IEEE Milestone certification in March 2021 for "Optical Fiber Connectors with Physical Contact Connection Using a Push-Pull Fastening Method." At the presentation ceremony held at Fujikura head office, Mr. Yuji Aoyagi, Director General of NTT Access Service Systems Laboratories, was present and presented the letter of appreciation to Fujikura Executive Officer Tatsuya Sakano.

The "IEEE Milestone" that NTT received from the IEEE ^*2 is an award that recognizes historical achievements that have contributed greatly to the development of society and industry and that have been in development for at least 25 years. NTT's "Optical Fiber connector with physical contact connection using a push-pull fastening method" is a technology and product that has significantly simplified Optical Fiber connections in backbone and access networks and data center, and has played a major role in the spread of optical communications. Even today, 30 years after its practical application, it still holds the largest share of the multi-fiber connector market, which is mainly used for wiring between devices.

MPO connectors are currently widely used in optical infrastructure supporting FTTH, 5G/6G, and IoT, as well as in the rapidly increasing number of hyperscale data center (HSDCs), etc. We hold the top global share in the supply of MT ferrules ^*3, a key component of MPO connectors, and are a world leader in this field.

Comment from Fujikura Executive Officer, Tatsuya Sakano
Congratulations to NTT on receiving the IEEE Milestone Award. We are also very grateful for the recognition of Fujikura contributions to the development of MPO connectors. We are delighted that the push-pull connector, which Fujikura helped develop more than 20 years ago, has made such a significant contribution to the construction of today's Optical Fiber networks and has now been recognized with this award. Moving forward, Fujikura will continue to work closely with NTT and other partners to develop innovative technologies and products, and contribute to the advancement of the information Fujikura through their practical application.

Glossary
*1 MPO connector: An optical connector that can connect multiple Optical Fiber at once.
*2 IEEE: The world's largest academic research organization and technical standardization organization in the fields of electrical and information engineering, headquartered in the United States.
*3 MT ferrule: A ferrule that connects Optical Fiber together with high precision and high density.

Reference
NTT Press Release dated March 5, 2021:
" Optical Fiber connector with physical contact connection using push-pull fastening method" that supports global communications infrastructure is recognized as a globally prestigious IEEE Milestone