This week in Dark Fiber news, there were a few big announcements out of Sumitomo Electric (News - Alert) Lightwaves (SEL). The firm first announced its latest addition from its Mass Splicer line, the Quantum Type-Q101-M12 Dual-Heater Mass Fusion Splicer.

SEL’s latest release will revolutionize the Mass Splicing market with its newest addition. Not only is the Quantum (News - Alert) Mass Splicer the most compact splicer available, but will also be the fastest. The Quantum Splicer will be able to operate up to a 12 fiber splice in less than 70 seconds.

“By continuing to listen to the customer, we have launched the most advanced, reliable, and user-friendly mass fusion splicer in the industry,” said Joshua Seawell, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave’s director of its Lightwave Network Products division.

The second announcement coming from SEL this week was the introduction of the industry’s first MPO jacketed ribbon splice on connectors. The latest splicers, part of the companies Lynx2 CustomFit Splice-On Connector product line, continue to evolve with the latest fiber optic cable innovations.

“As the company to have designed and introduced the industry’s very first MPO splice-on connector, we understand the importance of continuous innovation, ensuring that our customers have the latest and most advanced solutions that are vital for the success of their network,” said Seawell.

In other news, the growth of Dark Fiber continues to grow as Optical Communications Group (OCG) recently revealed its network presence reaching 50 more buildings in Manhattan. The company recently reserved several thousand telephone poles for the new businesses, as well as reconnected its networks back to their previous carriers in the wake of Super Storm Sandy.

As a preventive measure, OCG also plans to install salt-water resistant fiber optic cables throughout lower Manhattan.

"Our knowledge of the region and robust network allows us to facilitate the networks in Manhattan's most severely impacted. We were fortunate enough to retain our services throughout the storm and our network has the additional capacity to supplement and support those that are still trying to recover. OCG's added presence into these buildings ensures lower Manhattan is getting back on track,” said Brad Ickes, president of OCG.

In unrelated news, Zayo Group (News - Alert) recently announced they will lay down 35 miles worth of fiber optic cables in Eastern Oregon. The 96 count of fiber will be part of the Fiber To Tower (FTT) project. This announcement coincides with Zayo Group‘s commitment to bringing fiber networks into rural markets and continuing to expand its fiber footprint.

"The expansion in Eastern Oregon is consistent with our business strategy to invest on behalf of our customers while creating long term infrastructure that can be leveraged by others for a broad range of applications," stated Brett Palmer, VP of Dark Fiber Product Group at Zayo Group.

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