Samsung Sets New Standard for Single-Mode Optical Fiber.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SEOUL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 12, 2004

Samsung Electronics recently announced a wide range of improvements in the specifications for its single mode optical fiber in an effort to actively respond to the growing demand for superior quality of optical fiber from industry space. As a result, Samsung presently boasts an unrivaled standard of quality.

Almost all of the major optical and geometrical specifications of the fiber were significantly improved. Attenuation is guaranteed to be less than or equal to 0.34 dB/km at 1,310 nm and less than or equal to 0.21 dB/km at 1,550 nm wavelength, and the attenuation at 1,625 nm was also newly included as less than or equal to 0.24 dB to present the value for longer wavelength regions.

Meanwhile, the mode field diameter at the 1,550 nm has been improved 38% from the previous 10.4 +/- 0.8 (mu)m to 10.4 +/- 0.5 (mu)m, which are beneficial in keeping the relevant splice losses low by reducing the mode field mismatch. Clad non-circularity has been also been improved by 20%, from 1% to 0.8% for the same purpose.

The dispersion value in the 1,285-1,310 nm wavelength range has been improved from less than or equal to 3.5 ps/(nm-km) to less than or equal to 3.0 ps/(nm-km), while that for the 1,550 nm wavelength has been lowered from less than or equal to 18 ps/(nm-km) to less than or equal to 17.5 ps/(nm-km). Additionally, Samsung Electronics has introduced a dispersion limit of less than or equal to 22 ps/(nm-km) at 1,625 nm to cope with the growing demand for specifying the dispersion at longer wavelength regions. As a result, the company is capable of offering customers the single-mode optical fiber with more balanced quality - a narrower spread among dispersion values, providing greater flexibilities for customers in the design and installation of their optical network.

Samsung Electronics also introduced the world's best optical and geometric specifications for its optical fiber. The company has become the world's first to offer a PMD of less than or equal to 0.1 ps/km 1/2 for individual fibers, which is 50% better than the current industry standard of less than or equal to 0.2 ps/km 1/2, which leads to an improvement in PMD link design values by 40%, from less than or equal to 0.1 ps/km 1/2 to a world's best at less than or equal to 0.06 ps/km 1/2. These improved PMD specifications mean customers can send high volumes of error-free data farther and faster than is possible with the optical fiber currently available.

Moreover, the secondary coating tolerance has been reduced by 70%, from 245 +/- 10 (mu)m to 245 +/- 3 (mu)m, the highest standard in the world. As a result, Samsung Electronics can help optical cable manufacturers' save capital expenditures regarding the coloring process from a lower break rate and lower consumption of coloring ink. At the same time, the structural stability obtainable from minimized coating tolerance during ribbonization allows for reducing errors during ribbon cable splicing, implying considerable savings to customers in time and costs.

Vice President and Chief of the Fiberoptics Division, Jin-han Kim, had this to say: "Samsung's vastly superior specifications are the result of ongoing efforts to enhance technology and processes as well as product quality over the past two decades. We have remained committed to applying single-mode optical fiber processing technologies that have already been proven to be the world's most advanced to supply our customers with the finest products."

Samsung Electronics Telecommunication Network's President, Ki-Tae Lee, who also serves as President of Korea Association for Photonics Industry Development, said: "Demand for telecommunication bandwidth and communication traffic volumes are soaring constantly, and solving these problems will mean a bright future for the telecommunications industry. Samsung Electronics is dedicated to developing and producing superior optical communications products that will help our customers build more effective telecommunications infrastructures. We are successfully overcoming the current difficulties in the optical communications market and we expect to play a central role in this industry in the future."

Samsung's proprietary fiber manufacturing technology has been used to produce single-mode optical fiber according to the improved specifications described above.

About Samsung Fiberoptics Division

Samsung Electronics began its fiber optics business in 1983 and has been supplying its superior products and solutions to over 30 countries ever since. The Fiberoptics division manufactures, designs, and markets a wide range of optical fibers, fiber optic cables, and interconnection products. For more information, please visit http://www.samsungfiberoptics.com

About Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, and digital convergence technology. Samsung Electronics employs approximately 75,000 people in 89 offices in 47 countries. The company is the world's largest producer of memory chips, TFT-LCDs, CDMA mobile phones, monitors and VCRs. Samsung Electronics consists of four main business units: Digital Media Networks, Device Solution Networks, Telecommunication Network and Digital Appliance Network Businesses.

For more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com