On 8th January, the2017 China’s State Science and Technology Awards Ceremony was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The project of“New Optical Fibre Manufacturing Technology and Industrialization”, jointly submitted by Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as YOFC, stock code: 6869.HK) and China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as China Unicom), emerged remarkably from a variety of high-level research achievements and won theSecond Class National Science and Technology Progress Award. The person who is in charge of the project, general manager Wang Ruichun from R&D Center of YOFC, attended the ceremony and claimed the award.

This is the second time for YOFC to grant this reward after the first time in 2005, becoming the only enterprise which was rewarded twice in China’s optical communication industry. This award demonstrated YOFC’s actual strength in technological innovation and also the national approval to YOFC’s ability in technological innovation and industrial promotion in fibre-optic communication for so many years.

The project initiated by YOFC and China Unicom focused on access network and next generation optical transmission network (extra high speed, high capacity, and long distance) to the urgent demand for new optical fibre, unlocking breakthrough of core technologies around large size preforms, bend insensitive and untra-low loss & large effective area new type fibre preparation. As a result, the project offered a variety of internationally-advanced technologies and products, manufactured large size preforms which is the lead in optic fibre industry and developed G.657 bend insensitive fibres and G.654 ultra-low loss fibres, etc. with internationally-advanced performance.

As a world-leading supplier of optical fibre and cable, YOFC has begun its research in new fibre of ultra- low loss and large effective area since 2010. In 2014, YOFC worked with China Unicom Network Technology Research Institute, and conducted the single-wave 100G transmission test. A substantial amount of theories and test data proved that this type of fibres have super strong transmission capacity in high-speed transmission system than other fibres. During the OFC Conference in March 2015, YOFC officially released its Farband Ultra: Ultra Low Loss and Large Effective Area Fibre, becoming the first and the only enterprise in China, the 3rd in the world which owned this type of fibre and mastered its manufacturing technology, filling China’s technological gap in this domain.

China Unicom took the lead globally in starting exploration of new fibre of 400G in 2014, participated and promoted the formulation of G.654.E fibre standards with ITU-T. In 2015, YOFC and China Unicom conducted a practical test of ultra low loss and large effective area G.654.E fibre in the existing network application, and established a technical team to follow up and promote its first use globally in the existing network on the land. It was tested with an aerial optical cable and a pipeline one made of ultra low loss and large effective area fibre in Xinjiang and Shandong respectively, running through deserts and chilly snow mountains, and the expressway communication pipeline. It researched the fibre’s adaptability in severe conditions and its transmittability of 400G.

Over the development of three decades, YOFC has been deeply engaging in its main business of preform, optical fibre and cable, adhering to independent innovation. Meanwhile, YOFC has made perfect transformation from a follower to a leader, from technological introduction, digestion, assimilation to innovation. It drove the overall technological progress and development in the industry, played a critical role in establishing China’s information network and promoting optical communication industry “from big to large”. On the basis of the project, “New Optical Fibre Manufacturing Technology and Its Industrialization”, YOFC will keep increasing inputs of efforts in preform, fibre and cable research and innovation, as it will share with the world the latest technologies and products, and accumulate advanced knowledge, technology and equipment for the overall development of China’s optical fibre and cable industry, dedicated to maintaining the leading role in information transmission and smart link.