Insights
Notes on fibre supply,
duties, and sourcing.
September 2026
Are you a key customer? The question to ask your fibre supplier this quarter
One supplier published its rationing method. Every constrained supplier runs a version of it. Four questions to find where you sit.
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September 2026
How to read a fibre capacity announcement if you buy in Europe
Four capacity announcements landed since May. Read the postcodes and the offtake, and they look different from a European desk.
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August 2026
When your fibre supplier harmonises its portfolio: a distributor's checklist
When a premium maker reduces product complexity, the low-volume tail goes first. An afternoon of homework that maps your exposure.
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August 2026
Why the optical fibre shortage lasts into 2027: the preform maths
Fibre output is capped by preform output, and a preform takes up to 18 months to grow. The arithmetic that puts a date on the squeeze.
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August 2026
Konfektionierte LWL-Kabel: jede Länge, 4 bis 6 Wochen
Konfektionierte LWL-Kabel nach Stückliste: Simplex oder Duplex, LC/SC/ST/FC, OS2 oder OM1 bis OM4, gefertigt in 4 bis 6 Wochen mit schriftlichem Termin.
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August 2026
Custom MPO trunk cables, any length, 4 to 6 weeks
Custom MPO/MTP trunks, 4 to 72 fibres, any length, built to order in 4 to 6 weeks with the delivery date confirmed in writing at order.
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August 2026
The repair hour: what a fibre cut really costs a regional operator, and how to shorten it
The expensive part of a fibre cut is finding it. How remote monitoring and protection switching shorten the repair hour for regional operators, and where.
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August 2026
Coded optics: cutting data-centre transceiver cost without breaking switch compatibility
The optics line is no longer a rounding error, and the switch vendor's markup is optional. How coded third-party modules cut DC cost, and how to qualify one.
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July 2026
Pre-terminated fibre vs field splicing: the labour maths for 2026
The scarcest input on a 2026 fibre build is the technician. The labour maths of factory termination, and the jobs where field splicing still wins.
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July 2026
Own-label fibre: the margin case for distributors
Premium brands set your buy price and your sell price. The house-brand lever fibre distribution has barely touched, and how to test it on 2 SKUs.
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July 2026
The second-source question every European fibre buyer should answer before Q4
Fibre lead times have doubled and hyperscalers have locked the queue. How European buyers qualify a second source before Q4.
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Guide
Sourcing fibre: India vs China for EU buyers
Track record, range, build-to-order speed, EU compliance and total landed cost, compared side by side.
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