Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1472963
50 I ICT TODAY and the subsequent capabilities of the fusion splicer handling these innovations. Installers will lose competi- tive positioning if continued learning and adapting are not prioritized. Missed deadlines, costly installs, and rework are sure to follow if ignored. Expandability, flexibility, and accessibility (EFA) are key requirements of physical infrastructure. In addition, demand for low latency requirements will continue to increase, since an autonomous vehicle must make decisions in milliseconds to avoid fatal collisions. These trends are only some of the drivers to introduce "smart" into infrastructure. Network operators are always looking for differentiators to offer existing subscribers to gain market share. In recent years, Managed Wi-Fi is an example of this, and its feature set continues to develop. Managed Wi-Fi offers a premium customer experience from which smart infrastructure can further benefit, as well as enterprise, municipal, and residential consumers. The backbone for smart infrastructure systems require significant ICT physical layer investments to transport data from one application to the next. ICT infrastructure, installation, and repair equipment are growing smarter to support these open system inter- connect (OSI) applications. The physical medium for passive infrastructure (e.g., optical fiber) is not experi- encing high volumes of innovation with the exception of some of the packaging, deployment, and equipment required to install and maintain. One often forgotten aspect of ICT construction that has experienced much innovation is the fusion splicing of optical fiber responsible for connecting the mult- itude of segments comprising a network. It is a crucial process that enables the ability to light-up new and repair existing networks. Fusion splicers have evolved to meet modern demands of the cable, connectivity, and optical fiber upon which traditional and smart infrastructures are built. Installers, designers, and project managers must be aware of the passive infrastructure advancements PHYSICAL LAYER ADVANCEMENTS SUPPORTING SMART INFRASTRUCTURE The OSI model describes seven layers of communications for computer systems on a network. The first of these seven is the physical layer, defined as the physical medium that the raw bit streams are transmitted across. This includes components, such as cable, wireless, and connectivity that actively or passively transmit data traffic. This physical layer has been shifting from primarily copper-based to fiber-based in the outside plant (OSP) for many years. What began as limited fiber deployments in major telecommunications networks are now commonplace as optical fiber penetrates further into greenfield and brownfield deployments. The progression of ICT infrastructure over the last 50 years and exponential acceleration of data demands have culminated into significant deployment challenges from a capacity perspective, especially in metropolitan or high-density environments. Expandability, flexibility, and accessibility (EFA) are key requirements of physical infrastructure. Expand- ability, so there is room to grow in the physical layer; flexibility, so unexpected, changing applications can be serviced; and accessibility, so the first two can be achieved in a cost-effective and timely manner. Trenching new underground pathways in cities or building aerial real estate for optical fiber cable is not a simple or inexpensive task. Maximizing existing and future-proofing new pathways are of key importance to avoid inflated costs for network builds. High fiber count and high-density cable designs have proliferated the fiber optic industry as these needs have been made apparent. Traditional loose-tube cable designs are not capable of the density required for compatibility with congested pathways. Underground ducts considered at maximum capacity with prior cable designs can accept additional cable using new high-density designs.