Fiber|Laser News - FIRST WEST COAST INTERCITY FIBER OPTIC SYSTEM IS CUT OVER - UPDATE AND TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

Oct 13, 2026

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Fiber|Laser News biweekly report covers optical fiber and laser technology updates, highlighting the cutover of Pacific Telephone and Telegraph’s first West Coast fiber optic intercity segment between Sacramento and San Jose and its planned multi-leg California expansion. It details operating capacity, system costs, involved vendors, and ownership questions after divestiture. Additional features report Western Electric’s long wavelength laser-based unrepeatered transmission in Louisiana, extendable regenerator spacing, upcoming deployments, and British Telecom orders and Ethernet/LAN integration.

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FIRST WEST COAST INTERCITY FIBER OPTIC SYSTEM IS CUT OVER

…AND WESTERN ELECTRIC's LONG WAVELENGTH LASER-BASED SYSTEM PULSES IN LOUISIANA

…AND U-B'S NEW REMOTE REPEATER CAN EXTEND ETHERNET NETWORKS FOR BRITISH TELECOM

ISSN 0275-6099 # Fiber|Laser News. The Biweekly Report on Optical Fiber and Laser Technology Dear Executive: HIGHLIGHTS INSIDE:British Telecom selling fiber optic LANs,p.2... Math Associatesforms new fiber optic division,p.3…Illinois Bell to open Chicago fiber loop,p.4..TRW capacitor manufacture aided by lasers,p.5…Mi1waukee cable TV negotiations end,p. 6..·FFiber/Laser Beams,p.7…President's speech seen accelerating laser funding,p.8. # FIRST WEST COAST INTERCITY FIBER OPTIC SYSTEM IS CUT OVER Pacific Telephone and Telegraph last week cut over on the first segment of its WestCoast fiber optic network,activating a 168-mile hookup linking Sacramento and San Jose.The route includes Oakland,San Francisco and Stockton. The system--which operates at 90 Mbps--cost $38 million.It is the first leg of a 4-pronged California route to be completed by 1986.The route was designed by Bell1 Labs,and Western Electric is providing the multimode fiber. When completed,the entire West Coast system will cost approximately $160 million andrun 633 miles--from Sacramento to San Diego. Section 2 will run 224 miles,between Stockton and Bakersfield,and will be on linenext February. A 98-mile segment running to Sherman Oaks will be operational the following October.And a final leg,connecting Santa Ana and San Diego,is slated for 1986. California Governor George Deukjemian in Sacramento and PTT Board Chairman DonaldGuinn in San Francisco used the fiber optic system to carry on a visual telephone conversa-tion using AT&T's Picturephone. It is unclear at this time exactly who will own what sections of the West Coast route.Portions that fall within Local Access and Transport Areas will belong to PTT,while othersegments will go to Long Lines following divestiture Jan.1.It has yet to be determinedexactly where the LATAs will be. Operation of the West Coast fiber optic link marks the second time in a little over amonth that Bell has cut over a major intercity lightguide system.AT&T earlier began op-erating a 372-mile route between Washington,D.C.,and New York City,also at 90 Mbps(F/LN,Feb.18,p.1.) ## …AND WESTERN ELECTRIC's LONG WAVELENGTH LASER-BASED SYSTEM PULSES IN LOUISIANA Western Electric's first long wavelength laser-based system also went into operationlast week,sending unrepeatered light 7 miles between Lafayette and Broussard,La.Thiotriples the previous distance allowed between the optical equipment that boosts the signal,according to Western Electric.The system was put in for South Central Bel1. The long wavelength system uses Bel1 System lasers that emit light in the 1.3 micronrange."This means the regenerators can be placed up to 15 miles apart,3 times fartherthan in earlier systems,"according to Western Vice President William Dugan. Western also plans to use single-mode fiber to transmit light using a long wavelengthlaser sometime later this year,but a company spokesman told us he is unsure when andwhere that would be. The long wavelength system will be extended an extra 22 miles,to Iberia,La.,beforethe end of the year.It will call for 1 repeater.Both sections use 24 fibers in a rib-bon design. Western already has plans for 2 additionallong wavelength route installations--1each in Philadelphia and Chicago. They should be operational this summer. Three British organizations have already placed orders with British Telecom for fiberoptic local area networks,we have learned.The 3 systems--2 military and 1 security--will be based on Ungermann-Bass'Net/One LAN technology. "One installation is to be in an area where there can be no electromagnetic radia-tion,"said Ron Davis,exclusive Ungermann-Bass marketing manager in the United Kingdom."The others are to be placed in hazardous environments,"he noted. Various other orders British Telecom is receiving are incorporating fiber optics andcoaxial cable via Net/One.British Telecom is marketing Net/One,which supports Ethernetand broadband LANs with a mixture of fiber

FAQs

Which intercity fiber optic network segment was cut over first, and between which cities?

Pacific Telephone and Telegraph cut over the first segment of its West Coast fiber optic network, activating a 168-mile hookup linking Sacramento and San Jose, routing through Oakland, San Francisco, and Stockton.

What is notable about Western Electric’s long wavelength laser-based system deployment in Louisiana?

Western Electric’s long wavelength system began operating last week, sending unrepeatered light 7 miles between Lafayette and Broussard and tripling the previous allowed distance for optical equipment that boosts the signal.

How does U-B’s new remote repeater extend Ethernet networks for British Telecom?

The remote repeater enables fiber optic cable to extend Ethernet networks beyond 1,500 meters by adding up to 1,000 meters of fiber between any two baseband segment cables, allowing extension to about 2,500 meters.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by jay