On the morning of September 18, 2016, China Unicom Network Technology Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as “China Unicom Research Institute”) and Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (hereinafter referred to as “YOFC”) formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing. In future, the two parties will cooperate on the basis of the development of optical fibre and cable industry and technical progress and further expand business to all-optical network, UWB, 5G, the internet of things, intelligent manufacturing and other new directions and fields.

Kong Li, Vice president and chief engineer of China Unicom Research Institute, Wang Guangquan, director of Network Technology Research Department, Wang Haijun, technician of Transmission and Bearing Lab of Network Technology Research Department, Zhang He, director of Transmission and Bearing Lab of Network Technology Research Department, Yan Changkun, vice president of YOFC, Wang Ruichun, general manager of R&D Center, Zhou Qinmin, manager of Strategy and Marketing Department and Zhang Fanghai, senior expert of Strategy and Marketing Department, attended the signing ceremony.

China Unicom Research Institute is a network technology research and support mechanism directly under China Unicom, providing China Unicom with overall solutions and comprehensive technical support for network operation and development; YOFC is the largest supplier of optical fibre performs and optical fibres and the second largest optical cable supplier in the world, having always led the development of China’s optical fibre and cable industry. YOFC and China Unicom Research Institute have cooperated with each other for a long time, with profound cooperation foundation and complementary advantages and mutual supports in technical practice, product verification and standard support, etc.

In 2011, they completed the application test of new optical fibres of G.652.D, G.657.A2, ultra-low attenuation and other series in 40G DWDM system, accumulated rich experience and obtained valuable test data, providing an important theoretical support for the application of G.657.A2 and other new fibres under a condition of tense pipeline resources. Based on these data, YOFC comprehensively understood customers’ demands and rapidly realized product upgrading and updating.

In 2012, they carried out the Phase-I project of optical-cable duration research respectively for the cables removed from “Shanghai-Wenzhou-Fuzhou-Guangzhou” and “South Coastal No.4”, obtaining the key factors that affect optical cable duration and providing a strong support for later design, operation and maintenance of optical cable.

In 2013, for the problems, such as long and cold winter in Northeast and Northwest China, relatively large climate region of extreme coldness and large temperature difference between day and night, deployment of real network with optical cables and connection instruments with common materials and structures, transmission performance degradation and temperature change related to some optical cables after long-term use, they expressed improvement requirements for R&D, model selection, design, construction, operation and maintenance, etc. of optical cables in such regions. Operation and Maintenance Department of China Unicom, China Unicom Research Institute and YOFC together made a three-year academic study of long tolerance of optical fibre and cable in cold regions, in order to fill the gap as soon as possible, provide operators, designers and manufacturers with the research results with great reference value, improve quality level and availability of transmission network and promote the development of China’s optical fibre and cable industry.

In 2014, YOFC actively assisted China Unicom, China Unicom Research Institute and CITC in lab testing and verification of new optical fibre in 100G transmission, laying a good foundation for the application of G.654 large-effective-area optical fibre in existing land network. Since 2015, YOFC has always actively supported China Unicom making the existing land network verification of the first large-effective-area optical fibre of global operator, thus, it has exclusively provided two kinds of single-mode optical fibre, respectively of low attenuation & large effective area and ultralow attenuation & large effective area and successfully completed preliminary acceptance, as well as laid a foundation for the deployment of rapid DWDM system of 400G. For land application and standardization of G.654 optical fibre with large effective area, YOFC and China Unicom commonly promoted the establishment of international standard of G.654.E products. At the end of 2015, China Unicom and YOFC jointly took the lead to promote the approval of communication industry standard for G.654.E optical fibre and contributed a lot to standardization and industrialization of this kind of optical fibre.

“Studying alone without a friend to learn from limits you vision and knowledge”, mutual cooperation and complementarity can better help enterprises achieve a win-win and grow. Since its establishment in 1988, YOFC has set the corporate development strategy of “good-faith management, scientific planning and steady development”, adhered to the cooperation with all parties in the industrial chain; especially in term of technical and product innovation, it has always adhered to the close cooperation with the most forward universities, scientific research institutions and upstream & downstream enterprises in global optical fibre research and development, closely kept up with the latest trend of industry development and closely cooperated with the operators including China Unicom, therefore, it has completed a series of academic, R&D and practical projects, developed a series of global leading products and strongly supported industry progress and the development of China’s communications industry.

Signing of the strategic cooperation agreement with China Unicom Research Institute is a solid and strategic step made by the two parties by taking a broad and long-term view and considering the situation under the new situation communications industry faces and a general background of network power policy in the first year of “13^rd five-year plan” period.

At the signing ceremony, Kong Li, vice president and chief engineer of China Unicom Research Institute, expressed that China Unicom and YOFC, as the enterprises relatively influential and responsible in the industry, will go forward hand in hand and take their own technical research and pioneering advantages to continue to greatly promote the construction of infrastructure network of optical fibre and cable, construct better optical fibre and cable network for China Unicom and better lead technical development of optical fibre and cable industry.

Yan Changkun, Vice president of YOFC expressed that YOFC, as a member of the Top 3 globally and the largest optical fibre and cable supplier in China, will continue to play its demonstration and leading role to concentrate power of the industry and work with China Unicom Research Institute and all sectors of the industry to build globally leading broadband network based on R&D innovation, so as to better serve customers and finally realize mutual benefit and win-win. Meanwhile, YOFC hopes that all parties in the industrial chain can fully play their own role and effect and create a mutually beneficial industrial ecology with an open mind.

Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company

September 18, 2016