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Insure for the Best

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VoicenData Bureau
New Update

A CEO and his team in India have to present their company's latest innovative

solution to a potential, big customer in a faraway place in the US within a

fortnight. The D-day arrives. The potential customer is eagerly waiting at the

other end. Rolling up their sleeves, the team starts making presentations.

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Alas, the videoconferencing system is dead slow! Everything seems to be all

right-no malfunction in hardware setup, no virus attack, no trojans, and the

structured cabling has recently been upgraded to support data-intensive

applications. The CTO of the company and his team later identify that the

culprit was improper installation of the structured cabling solution, which

affect data transmission speed and the performance capability of the cabling.

SA Mohan, regional sales director, India and ASEAN region, subscribes to

this: “It is increasingly important to strictly observe best practices as the

performance levels of cabling increase; the higher the performance level

required from the cabling, the lower the margin for error in terms of

installation practice”, he says.

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The concept of best practice is sine quo non to obtain optimum performance

from every standard-based product and structured cabling too is not an exception

to this fundamental principle. Unlike the ordinary electric wires, structured

cabling products and solutions require enormous attention during the

installation process. And each and every category of cables-from copper cables

to fiber optics-require unique techniques and skills for optimum performance.

Sathya Narayanan MS, country manager, India, Hubbell Wiring Systems says,

“Quality of installation gives both peace of mind and longevity for the

transportation system. Best practices always help to improve the quality of

installation and thereby help deliver a robust, stable, and high performance

data transportation system.” It further helps reduce the risk of down time,

increasing reliability and scalability. The adverse impacts due to lack of

observing best practices are return loss, alien cross talk, near-end cross talk,

etc.

Be Choosy



Selecting good quality of products as per the requirement of an organization

is a prerequisite. James Bundey, marketing manager, Asia Pacific, Molex Premise

Networks says, “One of the most pressing issue in the industry from the

end-users perspective is ensuring that they are confident about selecting the

right solution for their business. The important thing is that they have spoken

to a company that they trust and that the company recommends a suitable solution

for their requirements, not just the latest and greatest.”

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India is an early adopter of new

technologies

Radhakrishna KV,

manager, Projects and Business Development, Tyco Electronics' AMP NetConnect

Division

What is the latest trend in structured

cabling in terms of technology, new category of cables, etc?



Technologies in India are evolving extremely rapidly, and we find that

India is an early adopter of new technologies. Our network installations are

at par with any network installation abroad. While, STP is the dominant

technology abroad, especially in Europe, in India unshielded copper cabling

still rules networks, especially when it comes to regular office networks.

With almost 70% installations on Cat 6, it is almost ready to edge out the

enhanced Cat 5 technology. Also, for high speed, high bandwidth networks,

especially data center and disaster recovery centers or 10G applications, we

find Cat6 A STP gaining momentum. Fiber installations have also gone up but

their use is still mainly limited to backbone cabling. It is interesting to

note that while fiber cabling is only a little more expensive than copper

cabling systems, the cost of active components for fiber networks makes the

entire network extremely expensive.

What is the rate and level of 10G and PoE

adoption, and why?



10G is preferred for data centers because of high bandwidth required in

this set ups. PoE, on the other hand is adopted in enterprise segments and

software development centers because of the use of IP phones, wireless

networks, and other IP devices where powering on the devices such as

surveillance cameras or WAPs may not be easy.

Do you have any pricing strategy for your

cabling solutions to beat the rising copper prices?



The price of copper indeed has been a major cause for concern in the

last couple of years. We have had to adjust our pricing a few times this

year; it has been quite a task to keep up with this volatile state of the

copper market. We have taken the consultant approach to end-customers, and

by doing this we have been very successful in avoiding the price war.

Shajan M George, technical manager, Reichle & De-Massari India (R&M),

expresses similar view: “Today the challenge is to ensure that the quality of

product and design, implementation, testing, and documentation is up to the

standards.” Hundred percent testing of each and every individual component and

quality stamp for each of the sub-systems at the manufacturer's end is very

important in order to offer quality products to customers.

We are the second largest SCS

manufacturer in the country today

Milind Tamhane, VP, Manufacturing,

D-Link India

What is the latest trend in structured

cabling in terms of technology and new category of cables, etc?




On copper media we have Cat 6A cables which are suitable to transmit 10 Gbps
signals upto 50-100 mts. There cables have improved material for insulation,

and jacketing suitable for exacting safety requirements and also for a

greener environment. On the fiber front as well there is some excitement

over a new breed of bend insensitive fibers suitable for drop cable

application in FTTH.

What is the rate and level of 10G and PoE

adoption in India?



If one sells 1,000 boxes of copper cables, about 25 boxes would be of

10G performance, essentially used in data center applications. And on the

PoE front, PoE patch panels and PoE enabled physical layer products have

earned their niche customer base for products such as security/Internet

cameras, VoIP phones, etc.

What's your presence in the Indian market,

and what is your expansion plan?



We are the second largest SCS manufacturer in the country today, in

terms of volume, and third largest in value (turnover). We are expanding our

base to accommodate products catering to residential cabling in FTTH

segment. And in addition, we have steady growth in out export market.

Do you have a pricing strategy for your

cabling solutions to beat the rising copper prices?



We are the only SCS manufacturer to have complete control on component

manufacturing. While we now need to spend higher value for the same cable

box compared to the past, due to increase in copper price, as well as

plastic raw material prices, we have fair control on overall manufacturing

costs. And in nutshell, we are presently trying our best to protect our

loyal customers.

In terms of innovation, what are the new

products in the pipeline?



While we have a range of products in copper (Digilink P500, P800 series)

with enhanced performance and value for money, we also have high density

interference free patch panels, and cable management accessories. In fiber

we now have tactical cable solutions, pre-terminated fiber cable harnesses,

and fiber distribution boxes.

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Open Sesame



If practice makes a man perfect, training perfects him to learn best

practices, which is the key to structured cabling installation. Installing the

solution by a group of well-trained technicians is the foremost important

factor. According to Pramod Srivastava, head, Marketing, Passive Solutions,

Sterlite Technologies, “For 90% problems, it is improper installation that

affects performance capabilities, instead of improper cabling choice. If

ordinary electricians turn to be structured cabling installers, then quality of

installation cannot be up to the mark.”

The copper price fluctuation is a

major problem particularly in India

SA Mohan, regional sales director,

India & Asean Region, Molex

What is the latest trend in the structured

cabling industry?



On technology front, we are witnessing a number of trends. Firstly, the

uptake of Category 6A cabling is increasing as enterprises strive to

future-proof their networks in anticipation of 10G networking requirements.

We also see an increase in the use of shielded solutions, outside of the

previously typical geographies for shielding. Many companies have elected to

use shielded solutions to support their 10G requirements as it offers a

number of advantages over UTP cabling, namely in the elimination of alien

NEXT, smaller cable diameters, and therefore less issues regarding

communications room design and cable containment. On the fiber optic cable

front, we have seen an increase in the uptake of plug and play solutions,

and a heightened level of interest in the next generation of fiber cabling

solution.

How do you foresee the 10G and PoE

adoption?



The uptake of 10G systems is on the increase, generally by larger

enterprises that are looking to implement the latest cabling technology to

ensure its longevity. There is a higher uptake in the financial vertical.

But, PoE still has limited uptake. This could be due to the limited capacity

of the currently ratified standards. PoE is used for security applications,

but hasn't been widely adopted across large enterprises due to its currently

limited capability. Although, the advent of new standards should enable more

widespread adoption of PoE across a broader range of applications.

What will be the growth of fiber optic

cables in India?



Fiber optic cables will continue to grow in the Indian market, as

enterprises demand greater performance and bandwidth from their

infrastructures. The increase in 10G fiber application for MAN's and WAN's

will also fuel this growth. We can also see an increase in the adoption of

fiber plug and play solutions in applications where users need a guaranteed

level of performance from their cabling. These plug and play solutions offer

swift implementation, factory tested fiber terminations, and minimum losses.

What is your expansion plan in the Indian

market?



We have a well-established position in the Indian structured cabling

market. Market surveys from various sources indicate that we stand at

probably the fourth in terms of market share. And speaking ahead, we have

ambitious plans to increase our revenue and market share in the current

fiscal.

What do you have to say about tackling the

rising copper prices in the industry?



The copper price fluctuation is a global issue and is a major problem

particularly in India. At present there is a greater variability in the

price than there was about three years ago.

In terms of innovation, what are the new

products in your pipeline?



We have some exciting new products planned for release around

September/October. We will have a high performing copper RJ45 solution, a

copper plug and play solution, and an enhanced IIM solution.

 

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Stringent Practices



Following best practices are irrespective of the cable categories, but some

categories like Cat 6 and Cat 6A require more care as the cable pair twist

ratios are more in these cables. Although the base guidelines for best practice

for different categories of cable remains the same, the measurement or the

criteria changes for different category of cables. Sometimes, even within a

category, practices may vary slightly according to cable construction. DS

Nagendra, GM, LAN, Nexans Singapore, says, “The best cabling practice is to be

followed irrespective of the category of cables. One needs to cultivate the best

installation practice as a habit at the initial stages of the profession to

ensure that the installer delivers the best each time and every time.”

In the case of Category 6A, the laying and containment of cables become far

more critical, particularly, when it is a UTP solution. But in case of Cat 6A

STP not much precaution is required compared to UTP Cat 6A cables, since

shielding reduces the alien cross talk effect while running the cables parallel.

While routing the Cat 6A cable, there should be a control on the alien cross

talk. And while doing the terminations, the twist ratios and opening of twist

has to be maintained as Cat 6 cabling requires tighter termination practices

than Category 5e, and Cat 6A requires even tighter termination and

implementation practices than Cat 6.

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Fiber cables also require more careful handling during installation, which is

why fiber optic cable adoption has been less. For fiber installation for 10G

traffic, prescribed bending radius should be maintained as per the standards

while laying the cable. If it's not handled carefully there is every chance of

the fiber core breaking due to its inherent fragile nature, which also can cause

serious injuries to the installer. So fiber cabling obviously requires a skill

set that is somewhat different to copper.

Green Practices



Studies have revealed that cost of power alone represents a considerable

chunk in an overall data center budget. Thirty to fifty percent of funds are

allotted to power in a typical data center budget. While some people do question

how green product is possible in the structured cabling industry, terming green

products as a marketing gimmick, others say it's very much possible.

Dileep Kumar, director, Enterprise and Carrier Product Development, ADC Krone,

says, “Actually most people think that structured cabling is a passive cabling

industry and it does not emit any heat because there is no electronics involved

in it, so what's the big thing one can do in terms of green in structured

cabling. But in structured cabling also a lot of things can be done to support

green initiatives.” SA Mohan, regional sales director, India and ASEAN region,

also agrees that green practices are possible in the structured cabling

industry. He says, “Cables and their bundling can impact heat emissions in a

communications room. Use of multi-pair cables in a plug-and-play solution can

help to mitigate this. Also, electronic devices within a network emit a

considerable amount of heat.”

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Manufacturers have started to look at

powering their device through PoE

Sathya Narayanan M S, country manager,

India, Hubbell Wiring Systems

What is the latest trend in structured

cabling in terms of technology, new category of cables, etc?



We have been evolving as the most preferred way of communication today.

And as a result, systems like building management, PoE and PoE+, HVAC

management, building power management, and audio and video networking is

also becoming part of the Ethernet package. As on date the benchmark on

copper cables are 10G over 100 mts, though companies have been working on to

pack more to a copper cable, and it is tough to say whether there is going

to be any more high speed copper solution coming up at this stage.

What do you think is the level of 10G

adoption in the country?



The rate of acceptance of 10G over copper is limited owing to

installation and material costs, which are considerable and high when

compared to Cat 6 or lower grade systems. Also, whatever 10G solutions the

market has absorbed is for fiber backbone cabling or for data centers. We

need to wait and watch how this is going to increase in the coming years. In

our observation, it would be at least 3-4 years for Cat 6A to reach where

Cat 6 is today. Moreover, higher grade solutions like Cat 7 are also

available in the market today, but provide minimal improvement in speed when

compared to Cat 6A. Except additional protection from electrical

interferences by having shielding, enabling it to have better shannon

capacity.

How do you foresee PoE's adoption in the

Indian market?



Many manufacturers have started to look at powering their device through

PoE, and we can expect more such devices reach the market soon. Looking at

PoE, most organizations overseas have already implemented total building

management systems, which control HVAC, surveillance, power management,

legacy devices connectivity, etc on PoE+. This would be an interesting area

to watch while the Indian market is going to accept and absorb this in the

coming years. As on date PoE in India is limited to VoIP phones and PoE

access points.

Do you have any pricing strategy for your

cabling solutions to beat the rising copper prices?



We expect the LME to stabilize on lesser demand from China since all

major construction activity owing to the Olympics has come to an end.

Airflow Management



Industry experts say that a proper airflow management in cabinets and data

centers could reduce heat and indirectly save energy used for cooling processes.

When air cannot properly circulate in the cabinet or data center, electric fans

have to be used to move more air and cooling units have to be brought in to

lower the air temperature. These two processes require additional, unnecessary

electricity.

Dileep Kumar of ADC Krone says, “In a data center or a populated rack area,

the hanging patch cords on the front in a massive set up blocks proper airflow.

So, we have come out with a very innovative cable management solution for both

horizontal cables for rear, as well as for the patch cords in the front and the

verticals.” ADC Krone has cable management products including very innovative

patch panel with rotating modules to facilitate proper airflow. It also has a

product called AirES, which claims to provide superior conductor insulation

using smaller, gauge copper, and less insulating material. As it reduces the

average outside diameter from 28-32% than the size of standard Category 6 or

Category 6A cables, it facilitates proper airflow.

Apart from these techniques, a proper placement and planning of the equipment

inside a rack also helps conserve energy. Using open racks wherever possible

also helps reduce cooling requirements, as open racks help faster dissipation of

heat in comparison to cabinets. In high density applications environment like

data centers these practices are quite important.

According to ADC Krone there are also solutions to improve overall airflow

efficiency in the data center. These solutions can be implemented easily,

without major changes in the design and layout. Every single improvement in

green practice should facilitate the use of lesser energy to cool equipment,

reduce cost for the enterprises, and prevent emission of greenhouse gases from

the process of electricity generation. In today's high-density data centers, the

sheer volume of cabling, both active and abandoned, can create a serious

impediment to an efficient airflow. Rajesh Kumar, country manager, Siemon says,

“The answer for this can be a combination of better data center design, more

careful planning, management of cabling pathways, and avoidance of very

large-diameter cables.”

Some other green practices in data centers include plugging unnecessary vents

in raised floor perforated tiles; plugging other leakages in the raised floor by

sealing cable cutouts; sealing spaces between floors and walls; replacing

missing tiles; reducing air leakage by using gaskets to fit floor tiles more

securely onto floor frames; ensuring vented floor tiles are properly situated to

reduce hot spots and wash cool air into equipment air intakes; reducing overall

data center lighting requirements by using small, portable lights within each

cabinet, which puts light where technicians need it; and by turning off servers

when not in use.

Narayanan MS of Hubbell Wiring Systems India says, “PoE would help save power

by enabling the customer control their power consumption in BMS systems. Also

customers can opt for low smoke zero halogen jackets and cut down on their

carbon footprint instead of going for regular PVC jacketed cables.” RoHS

compliance by manufacturers is another important practice that contributes to

green commitments from manufacturer's side. Radhakrishna KV, manager, Projects &

Business Development, Tyco Electronics' AMP NetConnect Division says, “Green

initiatives are possible in structured cabling and in fact all Tyco Electronics'

products are RoHS compliant. In addition, our cables are constructed with

substances that, in the unfortunate event of a fire, emit very less smoke.”

While commenting on green practices, Kumar Natarajan, regional director, SW

Asia, Panduit International says, “This is possible only when leading brands

will work closely with the active HVAC and power supply vendors, and this will

impact both in direct and indirect ways.” Many vendors have a separate policy

for green commitment. From a manufacturing perspective, green practice includes

addressing the environmental impact of manufacturing, packing, recycling, and

shipping processes. Vendors can use the recycled boxes with environmental

friendly packing instead of polybags and plastics.

Kannan K



kannan@cybermedia.co.in

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