In This Issue

FTTH  

Looking For Jobs-Several new ones this month. Also see the new FOA Jobs Web Page 

This Month's "Tech Puzzler"

NEW: Sign up for the FOA eMail Newsletter

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New FOA Reference Books (Printed or eBooks!)

   

New FOA Technical Information and New Ways to View/Read It
This summer has been busy for us here at the FOA. Last month we announced our third reference book on OSP fiber optics (see below.) This month, the FOA adds more new information for your reference:

New OSP Reference Section on the FOA Reference Guide website
Joining our basic fiber optics and premises cabling sections on the FOA Reference Guide website is a new outside plant reference section that covers materials like that in our new textbook. The material is ready for use and will be followed shortly by a self-study guide.
Both the OSP textbook and website are being prepared as references for the new FOA CFospT outside plant technician certification, due this fall.

Do You Have an Apple iPad or Amazon Kindle? FOA has a book for you!
The basic FOA textbook, FOA Reference Guide to Fiber Optics, is now available on the Apple Store for the iPad and iPhone for $11.95. It is also available on the Amazon Kindle for only $9.95! If you already have one of these devices, you know how great they are for storing and reading books, and they are even better for reference books like FOA Reference Guide to Fiber Optics since you can bookmark important passages and add notes on each page. If you already have an iPad and iPhone, you know all about apps. You might have enen thought about how some basic fiber works might make a good app - well, we have thought that too. Keep watching this space for the news on new FOA projects!

Installation Videos Now on
The FOA has established a You Tube channel "thefoainc" to post free installation videos for fiber optics and premises cabling. We already had some fiber videos online, but they are using old technology and needed updating. We started on YouTube with a subject we get requests for often - UTP copper termination for the FOA premises cabling certification (CPCT) and will be adding lots of fiber videos shortly.

Here is the FOA YouTube channel.

FOA Prepares Certification On Outside Plant Fiber Optics, Publishes New Reference Textbook
The FOA CFOT, a basic fiber optic certification that has been available for almost 15 years that has been achieved by almost 31,000 fiber optic techs, covers all applications of fiber optics. CFOTs work in all fields of fiber optics - a fact recognized when the certification was created. Thus the requirements for CFOTs are flexible and training programs reflect that - they can be aimed at particular applications like OSP, premises, military, manufacturing, security, etc. and still qualify for the CFOT. With the CPCT premises cabling certification, the FOA focused on an application that includes fiber as well as copper cabling and wireless. Now with the CFospT outside plant certification, the FOA focuses squarely on OSP fiber optic network design, installation and maintentance. A CFospT certified tech must know the ways that fiber is used in the OSP, how it is installed, tested and maintained. While a CFOT might only have a basic knowlede of fusion splicing and OTDR testing, for example, a CFospT will be knowledgeable and skillful in those areas - and more.
Watch for more information on the FOA Outside Plant Fiber Optic Technician (CFospT) certification.

FOA Reference Guide to Outside Plant Fiber Optics

    The FOA has published a new textbook on outside plant fiber optics, the FOA Reference Guide to Outside Plant Fiber Optics. This textbook is designed to be used for training outside plant fiber optic technicians, studying for the new  FOA OSP certification and as a reference guide for anyone interested in outside plant fiber optics.  The book is available from the FOA eStore or Amazon.com for only $27.95 and will soon be available on the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle electronic book reader.
    Outside plant (OSP) fiber optics covers a giant topic, including applications like telephone and wireless backhaul, CATV, municipal networks, utility “smart grid” and the like - which is why it's 30% larger than our basic fiber book, the FOA Reference Guide to Fiber Optics. The book covers all types of OSP installations including underground, buried, aerial and submarine along with the specialized components, installation techniques and testing requirements for these applications.
This new FOA textbook is the third in a series of reference guides from the FOA covering basic fiber optics, premises cabling (fiber, copper and wireless) and now outside plant fiber optic cabling. Supplementary materials with even more depth on many subjects, are, of course, on the FOA Reference Guide website in the new OSP reference section.
The FOA Reference Guide to Outside Plant Fiber Optics will be used as the new reference guide for training students for the FOA Certified Outside Plant Fiber Optic Technician (CFospT) certification. 

The FOA Reference Guide to Outside Plant Fiber Optics, ISBN: 1450559670, is available at the FOA eStore or Amazon.com for $27.95. Coming soon as an iBook and on the Kindle.

Want to know more about OSP? There's a magazine for that - and a trade show, running this fall in San Antonio. OSPExpo

Alternative Energy - and Fiber


There are many alternative energy projects today, many using solar and wind energy to generate electrical power. Solar is more than photovoltaics, since in the Mojave Desert the sun is strong enough to generate steam to drive conventional generators. Nearby, wind moves giant propellers that also generate electricity. And both have one thing in common, they require continual computer control to maximize their outputs - and their controls are connected over fiber optics. One solar farm has over 750 miles of fiber. The utility running it will train its own techs using FOA certification.

New Reference Books for FOA Certifications

   

We have created three new FOA books to be used in training for FOA certifications and as reference books for contractors, installers and end users of fiber optics.
These books have full curriculum support, including free curriculum materials for teaching FOA certification courses.
Because we are self-publishing these books using more modern "publish on demand" technology, they are easier to keep up to date, easier to buy and much, MUCH cheaper!
Details on the new book each of the new books are at the book pages linked to the photos above.

FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide

New OSP reference section,  Polarity

The FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide has become very popular - perhaps the most popular technical website ever, typically with over 30,000 users monthly! We continue updating materials regularly, keeping it as up to date as possible.
Just this month, we added a page on "polarity" for fiber optic networks. Although it seems obvious that connecting transmitters to receivers is required, how it's accomplished can be confusing! We already updated the Premises Cabling sections in conjunction with publishing the  FOA Premises Textbook and are now focused on outside plant applications (OSP) with a new OSP reference section. We've already added a new page on chromatic dispersion (CD) and polarization-mode dispersion (PMD). Next we're working on cables for OSP applications and splicing.

Find What You Want Using "Google Custom Search
There's so much information on the FOA Tech Topics and Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide that even a well-organized Table of Contents isn't enough and when the material is always changing, an index is impossible to maintain. So the FOA is using the latest technology in search, Google Custom Search, which will allow you to search just the FOA Tech Topics and Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide for any topic you want to find more about. Try it!  

Go to  The FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide.

San Diego JATC, San Diego, CA
FTTX Services, Albany, NZ
Florida Power and Light, Indiantown, FL

Find a listing of all the FOA-Approved schools here.

What Should A Fiber Optics or Cabling Tech Know and What Skills Do They Need?
The FOA has been updating its lists of KSAs (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities) for fiber and cabling techs. The updated list is now on the website for your information and comments - as fiber and cabling KSAs evolve as new technologies develop.
KSAs for fiber and cabling techs.

It's Now A Lot Easier To Find A FOA-Approved Training Organization

Most phone calls we get regarding finding a FOA-Approved training organization want to know two things: what school is closest to me or what school offers the certifications I need. That can be difficult, since the FOA has almost 200 training organizations we have approved worldwide!
We've been looking at ways to make it easier, and we think we've got a good solution. In fact we have two solutions.
First we have added a sortable table of all the FOA-Approved schools.
You can also use our FOA Google Map Application to find FOA-Approved schools.

Here are links to the sortable table of all the FOA-Approved schools and  FOA Google Map.

Good Question! Tech Questions Worth Repeating

Using OM3-OM4 Fiber
Q: We're currently in the process of linking up 2 locations through a fiber connection. The network has a speed of 100 Mbps. The switches at both ends are <company> switches, and the optic ports are SFPs plugged into these switches. <company> states that their switches work with OM1, OM2 and OM3 fibers. As a side note, they mention that they do not use SFPs with VSCEL technology at this time.
My question is, Even though the SFPs do not support VSCEL, can we use an
OM3 type of cable to link up the 2 locations?

A:Any multimode fiber will work with LEDs or VCSELs. The design of laser-optimized fibers (OM3 and now OM4 - see http://www.thefoa.org/tech/ref/basic/fiber.html) is simply to refine the graded-index profile to reduce modal dispersion, necessary for using VCSELs at 1 Gb/s and above. LEDs work perfectly well in these fibers. LEDs are not used in faster networks than 100-200 MB/s simply because LEDs are not fast enough - the devices themselves have limited bandwidth, and they suffer badly from chromatic dispersion (also in that link above).
OM3 fiber is more costly than OM2 (and about the same as OM1), but if the intention is to ever upgrade to higher speeds, it's a good investment.
Some source manufacturers have recommended customers only use VCSELs as they are so cheap!

dB - What does it mean, exactly?
Q: In FRG to Fiber Optics  Pg 51 it states "For example, the loss of ............only 1 dB/km. That means at 850nm, half the light is lost in 1km, while only 20% is lost at 1300nm" Does that mean half of the transmitted power is lost when transmiiting at 850nm? How do you derive the 20%?

A: 3 dB is a ratio of 50% in power, so a loss of 3 dB means the power is lower by 50% at the end of 1 km of fiber. Likewise, it's down another 50% to 25% of the starting amount at the end of the second km, and so on.
At 1300 nm, the loss is only 1 dB or about 20%, so there is 80% of the initial power level at 1 km, 64% at the end of the second km (0.8 x 0.8 = 0.64) and so on.

You can calculate dB from power by using dB = 10 log (power ratio)

The FOA Online Reference Guide has a page on measuring optical power (http://www.thefoa.org/tech/ref/testing/test/power.html) that has an Excel Spreadsheet that calculates dB/power ratio and dBm/milliwatts) so you can calculate the actual values.

Reference Textbook
Q: There is a 4th edition of the Fiber Optic Technicians Manual published just recently. Isn't that a FOA book? Why is it not listed as a reference for the FOA certifications?

A: The FOA wrote the FOTM in 1997 and has used it as the reference book for FO training until this year. When the price of the FOTM 3rd edition nearly reached $100, the FOA decided it was too expensive for our own training, although we had just sent the publisher the updates for the 4th edition. We decided to created our own references and self-publish, cutting out the high costs of the publisher. Now we have our own books at a fraction of the previous costs, even cheaper as eBooks on the Kindle or iPad, plus a complete website with online study guides. The FOA curriculum materials and exams were not updated for FOTM 4th ed. and references to FOTM 3rd ed will be gone at the end of the year.

Loss Budgets
Q:  have a question about loss budgets. Should you count the last connector, because you only get a loss if you mate the pair.  If the link plugs directly into a machine then are the last connectors counted?

A: This question arises occasionally because the copper equivalents offer two options, with and without connections on the end.
However, fiber convention is only to consider an installed fiber optic cable as a permanent link, This is because 1) it is necessary to connect the fiber in the link being tested with a source with attached launch cables to be able to establish test conditions and a meter with attached receive cable to test the connector on the receive end. 2) The permanent link will be used with patchcords which means the reference cables emulate real usage including the loss of the end connectors. 3) Systems manufacturers and standards committees (e.g. Ethernet) define their loss budgets based on a test which includes the loss of the connectors on each end, with usage including patchcords that provide transmitter and receiver coupling. 4) You never test by just connecting a source and meter, with the rare exception of connectors that are not designed for mating, like some POF connectors, where you use a cable substitution test.
Even if we have a cable that is used to connect to equipment directly without patchcords, the convention to include the loss of end connectors is followed, otherwise there is no way to verify the quality of those connectors.
We cover this specifically in the book, eg  on the top of page 132 of the FOA Reference Guide to Fiber Optics, on the web pages and in all the examples.


Fiber Cleaning
This is a topic we keep reminding everybody about, and here is why:
From a contrator in the Middle East: Here some samples of the connectors for SM fiber already installed in the system we were testing.
 
As you can see, the dirt is large compared to the size of the fiber (dark gray), and the core (not visible here) is only 9/125 of the overall diameter of the fiber! See Product News below for links to vendors of fiber cleaning products.



Measurement Uncertainty: Everyone testing fiber optics should understand that every measurement has some uncertainty - whether you are measuring loss, length, wavelength, power, etc. Knowing that uncertainty is very important to interpreting the measurement. It's worthwhile to read and understand the issue of measurement accuracy covered in this page of the FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide.

Worth Reading:

Fiber Optic Safety Poster
We've had numerous requests to reprint our guidelines on safety when working with fiber optics, so we have created a "Safety Poster" for you to print and post in your classroom, worksite, etc. We suggest giving a copy to every student and installer.

Woodstock Goes FTTH - Woodstock Telephone Company in Minnesota, that is. Delivering up to 75 Mb/s over a 450 square mile service area. (TellLabs)

Computing at the Speed of Light
Replacing metal wiring with fiber optics could change everything from supercomputers to laptops. MIT Technology Review.

Webinars of Interest

Broadcast Engineering Magazine - Fiber Optic Testing
FOA President Jim Hayes presents an overview of fiber optic testing for all applications. Available on Demand. Sign up here.

Multimode Fiber Trends from TIA's Fiber Optics LAN Section
Ryan Chappell, Draka Communications, looks at the evolution of multimode fiber, examines its current usage and shares predictionson its future Available on-demand at: http://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/7182/play

OSP Magazine Webinars
OSP Magazine (OSP as in outside plant telco) is now offering a number of interesting webinars that cover fiber topics, including network design and specialized components.  http://www.ospmag.com/events/web/

Multimode Fiber Characterization Launch Condition Considerations - new ap note from JDSU  

The lost souls of telecommunications history
If you like techie history, you will enjoy this one. Arstechnica  

Cell Phones Bring Down 10Gb/s Cat 6A Networks?
According to this Tyco Electronics report, cell phones and walkie-talkies can cause enough interference in UTP cables to bring down network transmission. Wouldn't happen with fiber, but they're also selling shielded copper.

JDSU Reference Guide to Fiber Optic Testing – Volume 2 Published
The second volume of the JDSU series on fiber optic testing has been published.  Volume 1 focused on Basic Fiber testing and Volume 2 is geared toward fiber optic installers, project managers, telecom technicians and engineers who need to understand fiber networks. Volume 2 also covers Chromatic Dispersion, Polarization Mode Dispersion, Attenuation Profile and Fiber Link and Network Characterization. A 3rd volume, a glossary of fiber optic terms, is also available for download.
This is a "MUST HAVE" for all fiber optic techs. Download your free copies here.
We used this book as one of our references in creating a new page in the FOA Online Reference Guide on chromatic dispersion (CD) and polarization-mode dispersion (PMD).

Careers in Fiber Optics: Brian Smith. A 1998 book on fiber optic jobs is a bit dated, but a free overview is on Google Books and worth a look at it online.

Dirt!
As much as 70% of the problems associated with deploying fiber to the home result from something as simple as dirty connectors according to JDSU. Telephony Online.

Good Technical Websites

American Polywater (http://www.polywater.com/) has one of the best technical website for cable installers. Here is a rundown on some new material on their site.

Cable Installation using "Push" or "Push/Pull"
Polywater's new Pull-Planner™ 3000 Software allows a "pushing force" variable in pulling tension calculations.  Read a White Paper that quantifies the push contribution and compares calculation results to field experience. --
http://www.polywater.com/pushing.pdf

Pulling Cable Through Water?
Read a Product Spotlight on Polywater® + Silicone™, Polywater's new generation underground lubricant.  Continued reduction of friction when pulling through water is only one of the unique features of this lubricant. --
http://www.polywater.com/NNNBSL.pdf

Check out their website, especially “Videos,” “Engineer’s Corner” and  “Calculators.” http://www.polywater.com/NNNBSL.pdf

" Heard on the Street" is a monthly online newsletter from Frank Bisbee of Communications Planning Corporation  that covers the telecommunications and cabling businesses. Each month includes news from manufacturers, trade associations and professional societies like the FOA. You can read the current issue and back issues online.

JDSU has announced the See the Light webinar series, a four-part program designed for anyone involved in the installation, maintenance, and repair of fiber optic systems. It begins with fiber inspection and cleaning and then covers the basics of fiber testing. The webinar series then continues with the more advanced optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) and fiber local area network (LAN) testing challenges. More information on the series.

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FOA Tech Topics - 

A Fiber Optic Tester In Your Pocket?
Yes! The camera in your cell phone is sensitive to infrared light - lots more than your eye - and can detect light in an optical fiber or from a transmitter.  Chris Hillyer,CFOT/CFOS/I, Master Instructor, Northern California Sound & Communication JATC sent us some photos showing how this works and the following description.
 
"Your cell phone camera's image sensor can read IR light. It uses this technology to help take pictures at night.
In the advanced audio and CCTV field they have been using the smart phone camera to trouble shoot problems in IR communications. The human eye cannot see the IR light emitted by let’s say a remote control.  Well up until now we would always say that the remote is out of batteries, or either the IR transmitter or IR receiver was not working properly. Now we can use your smart phone camera to see the IR light emitted by the IR transmitter. All you have to do is turn on your camera function on your smart phone and hold it up the remote control and push any button. The cameras screen will show the IR light.
Now back to Fiber Optics. If you follow the same principals of the last paragraph, let’s say you wanted to check if a fiber port was energized. You can either use the card that is supposed to show you in a few seconds that the port was hot. Or you could plug in your meter, in this case it takes some time to find the card or if you don’t have your meter handy.  Just pull out your smart phone turn on the camera and hold it over the port. If it is hot you will see a bluish white dot in the fiber bulk head (see attached pictures)."
We tried this ourselves and found our camera phone very sensitive at 850 nm but as expected less so at 1300 nm, like all semiconductor detectors. Our phone could still see 1300 nm sources at around -20 dBm, making it very useful even for LED sources, and of course, perfect for lasers.

OFSTP-14 is DEAD! Long Live OFSTP-14!
OFSTP-14 is, of course, the TIA standard for testing installed multimode fiber optic cable plants which has been around more than 20 years and is the one TIA standard probably most familiar to contractors and installers. It has been due for updating, but TIA has been replacing many US-written standards with the equivalent international documents. 
The TIA has adopted IEC 61280-4-1 as the replacement of OFSTP-14. Most of the two documents is the same, with some important exceptions.

• For insertion loss, three reference methods are are still approved, but the nomenclature is different.
• OTDR testing is now an approved test method as long as you use launch and receive cables.
• Reference test cables with "reference grade connectors" are recommended.
• Methods are given for testing and verifying the loss of reference test cables.
• CPR with a mandrel wrap is gone, replaced by "Encircled Flux," a complex - and not completely debugged - method of measuring the source output.

FOA Technical Bulletins

How do you design and manufacture fiber optic systems? Choose and install one to serve your communications needs? Troubleshoot problems? The FOA Fiber Optic Technical Bulletins will provide step-by-step guidelines to help you. All are PDF files you can download, print and use.

Testing Update

Are there really 5 different ways to test optical fiber cabling after installation? Why so many? How do the measurements - and more importantly the measurement results - differ? What are the advanteages and disadvantages of each method?

Why are there 4 ways (maybe 5) to test fiber optic cables?

Do OTDRs and OLTS tests give the same results?

 

 

New Tech Topics

Industry standards updated to include international standards

Updated link specs for fiber optic networks - now includes 10G Ethernet.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on General Topics and Testing

Reference Guide sections on fusion splicing and mechanical splicing.

Product News

End-Of Summer Sale on FO Toolkits at TTTP
Save 25-40% off Advanced Fiber Solutions fiber optic installation toolboxes with test equipment. Go here.

Add OCC to the list of cable manufacturers offering "bend-tolerant" cables.  Draka too.(Lightwave)

AFL Introduces 3 new Noyes OTDRs(Lightwave). 

Remember the SMA Connector?
They're still being used for high power laser delivery - up to 80-100W! Seikoh Giken has even introduced some new ones.

Used Test Equipment – Buy or Sell
http://www.testequipmentconnection.com/


Have you read the FOA Tech Topics on Cleaning?

More links on cleaning:

Westover 

AFL

ITW Chemtronics

Cleantex Alco Pads

MicroCare 

 Seiko-Giken

 

FTTH Notes:

FTTH or FTTC?
That's the competition between Verizon FiOS and and AT&T U-Verse. The graph below, courtesy of IGI from their ecent report, “FiOS vs. U-verse; Architecture, Marketing, and Technical Considerations,” shows FiOS ahead but the gap narrowing as Verizon winds down their extremely aggressive FTTH program.


Woodstock Goes FTTH - Woodstock Telephone Company in Minnesota, that is. Delivering up to 75 Mb/s over a 450 square mile service area. (TellLabs)

Residents of Ashby de la Launde, a small village in Lincolnshire, UK, will soon be able to install 100-Mbps fiber-optic broadband into their homes via the FTTH network. Lightwave.

Nearly 60 homes and three businesses have started on-site digging to connect to the FTTH network to be installed around the village. The project involves the community working together to establish a privately funded network.
New Report : FTTH connections continue to grow in North America
You can download and read the entire report from the FTTH council website. http://www.ftthcouncil.org/sites/default/files/RVA.FTTH_.Apr10.040712Final.pdf

Testing FTTH
JDSU shows how to test a PON with an OTDR: http://www.jdsu.com/other-literature/PON-OTDR_fop_an_ae.pdf

US FTTH Connections Continue To Grow

According to a just released FTTH Council Report prepared by RVA, FTTH connections continue to grow in North America - 99% of which are in the US, but growth seems to be slowing, probably a consequence of the current economy. Much of the FTTH deployment in the US has been due to Verizon's $23 billion investment in FTTH, but the report noted that FTTH is now being deployed by more than 750 service providers across North America. Most of these service providers are small, independent telephone companies that are replacing their copper lines with end-to-end fiber to ensure their future competitiveness as broadband providers. Of the service providers not yet offering FTTH, a majority say they are likely to soon. You can download and read the entire report from the FTTH council website. http://www.ftthcouncil.org/sites/default/files/RVA.FTTH_.Apr10.040712Final.pdf


David Chaffee's FTTH Prism Newsletter is Online
(archives are at bottom of the linked page)

Where is Verizon offfering FiOS service? See this map.

 

Want To Learn More About FTTx?

The FOA has created a special FTTx resources section of our website with a FTTx links page with lots of links to news, market reports, technical articles and vendor technical and product information. Here is a great place to start learning more about FTTx.

FOA's CFxT FTTx Certification Program Explained

Read the Broadband Properties article about the FOA FTTx certification program. Read the article about FOA President Jim Hayes being honored for his work promoting FTTH.

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There is a new toll-free "call before you dig" number: 811

See www.call811.com for more information

National Fiber Optic Protection Summit: By the "811" group. March, 2008 in Vegas.

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Download This!

 

There are tons of technical application notes and videos on the web, and occasionally we recommend some you should download. The JDSU fiber testing guide is really worthwhile, as are the ADC FTTx book and Westover video on fiber inspection and cleaning, linked below.

 

JDSU Testing Book

JDSU offers a free download of their Testing Guide from the Lightwave website. This is one great book which explains some basic fiber technology, but the real value is the last half which deals with OTDR testing. Not only does it give the usual info, but it covers important topics like measurement uncertainties and anomolies like ghosts and gainers.

 

I was in the testing business for 20+ years at Fotec and think this book is one of the best fiber optic testing texts available. It's complete but comprehenisble! I used to believe that premises techs did not need OTDR training, but now OTDR manufacturers are pushing their use in premises networks. Unfortunately, the limitations of OTDRs in premises applications can cause extreme problems for those who are not aware of their limitations. So knowing hows OTDRs work is essential information to every tech. 
JH

 

Download yourself a copy and read it! http://lw.pennnet.com/whitepapers/wp.cfm?id=665

 

Westover Application Notes And Cleaning Video

Westover has several application notes on inspecting and cleaning fiber optic connectors. The video is a big file (50+MB) but a good tutorial.

Download page: http://www.westoverfiber.com/Support/downloads.php

 

ADC's Book On FTTx

ADC has an excellend book on FTTx. Here is a link to request a copy: http://www.adc.com/productsandservices/productsolutions/fttp/book/index.jsp

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Job Openings

New FOA Jobs Website
We get many questions from CFOTs, students at FOA-Approved schools and others contemplating getting into the fiber optic business regarding jobs in fiber optics - and how to find them - so we’ve created a new web page to share some information we've gathered about jobs in our industry. The information is designed to help you understand what jobs are available in fiber optics, how to find them and apply for them.
While the overall economy is pretty bad - you've probably heard that there are 5 times as many people unemployed in the US as there are jobs available, telecom is a bright spot - broadband is a major focus of stimulus spending in the US and countries around the world are building fiber networks as fast as possible. Even wireless companies have to build fiber for their backhaul. Cities are installing fiber linked surveillance cameras and smart traffic lights. Fiber is the link making Smart Grid possible. Companies like Allied Fiber are building large private networks. Telecom is one of the fastest growing businesses worldwide.

If you are looking for a job in fiber optics, here is the FOA's guide to jobs.

The FOA has created a group on   expressly to help our CFOTs find employment and contracting opportunities. If you are a CFOT and are interested in participating, join us on . If you have job openings, let us post them on .

 

Also Check Recent Job Openings In Previous Issues of The FOA Newsletter

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Tech Puzzler

 

 

Answer below

 

 

 

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FOA Logo Merchandise

FOA has arranged with EmbroidMe to provide FOA logo merchandies. Identify yourself as a FOA-certified tech or instructor. The lab coats are super impressive for either cabling techs and instructors. Check out the selection.

 

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FOA Certification Top Choice

The FOA CFOT and CFOS programs continue to gain momentum in fiber optics. Over 27,000 CFOTs have been certified by over 230 schools. Since our founding in July, 1995, we have dedicated ourselves to promoting fiber optics and professionalism in fiber optics personnel, focusing on education and certification. We are continuing to add new schools and more CFOTs as users of fiber optics learn that a CFOT is the indication of a professional, well-trained fiber optic technician. Now with FTTH (fiber to the home) finally taking off, demand for CFOTs is rising and schools are responding by expanding programs rapidly.

The FOA now has approved programs at 200+ organizations, welcoming new additions like the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Corning Cable Systems and AFL (and their new acquisition "The Light Brigade" for their installation training programs) and NASA's Goldstone Tracking Station. The complete list of FOA-Approved schools is at http://www.thefoa.org/foa_aprv.htm.

Understanding FOA Certifications

To answer questions on FOA certifications, we've created several new web pages:

Overview of FOA certifications

CFOT

CFxT

AFOT

CFOS

Training Requirements - What Schools Are Teaching

 

Reading these will help you understand what each FOA certification covers and how to prepare for them.

 

Your Name, CFOT - It pays to advertise!

The FOA encourages CFOTs to use the logo on their business cards, letterhead, truck or van, etc. and provides logo files on this site for that purpose. But we are also asked about how to use the CFOT or CFOS certifications. Easy, you can refer to yourself as "Your Name, CFOT" or "Your Name, CFOS/T" for example.

Feel free to use the logo and designations to promote your achievements and professionalism!

Remember To Renew Your Certification !

Remember to renew your FOA certification. All current CFOTs have a ID Card with their certification data and we keep a database of current CFOTs to answer inquiries regarding your qualifications if needed. You must be a current FOA member and CFOT to participate in our online database of installers, contractors, technicians and consultants. If you forgot to renew, use the online application form to renew NOW!

You can now renew your FOA certification online - and get an extra month free. Details here.

To Contact The FOA:

 

The Fiber Optic Association

1119 S Mission Road, # 355

Fallbrook, California 92028 USA

 

Office Hours 10AM-5 PM Pacific Time, Monday to Friday

Telephone: 760-451-3655

Fax: 781-207-2421

info@thefoa.org

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info@thefoa.org

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