European Fiber Optic Cables Have A Promising Future

TKF's new fiber optic cable production plant in Poland was officially opened in September last year

The Dutch cable company TKF Cables opened its new fiber optic cable production plant in Rawicz, Poland, last September. The opening of this state-of-the-art plant is an important milestone for TKF. With this new plant, TKF will double its fiber optic cable production capacity in Europe, partially replacing the capacity in China. The new plant in Poland features state-of-the-art production facilities for innovative fiber optic cable solutions in Europe. The production site covers a total area of 10,000 square meters and is dedicated to the production of fiber optic cables. Construction of the new plant began in March 2022 and it has been in operation for just one and a half years. The new plant is in line with TKF's commitment to a sustainable future. The design of the new plant meets the environmental sustainability ESG goals (Environmental, Social and Governance), including the use of state-of-the-art UV LEDs, LED lighting and solar energy.

With this new plant, TKF doubles its fiber optic cable production capacity in Europe, partially replacing the capacity in China. The new plant in Poland has state-of-the-art production facilities to provide Europe with innovative fiber optic cable solutions. The production site covers a total area of 10,000 square meters and is dedicated to the production of fiber optic cables. Construction of the new plant began in March 2022 and it has been in operation for just one and a half years.

Indian telecom equipment maker HFCL to build new fiber optic cable manufacturing facility in Poland this year

Indian technology company HFCL recently announced its strategic move in Europe with plans to set up an optical fiber cable (OFC) manufacturing facility in Poland. The company said that the new plant will be its first OFC manufacturing facility in Europe to meet the growing demand for OFCs in markets such as France, Poland, the UK, Germany, Belgium, etc. HFCL is looking to increase its share of OFC exports to 70% from the current 30% in the next four to five years.

With the FTTH Council predicting that more than 308 million homes in the EU region will have FTTH connections by 2028, HFCL is eyeing the potential of the European market. The company plans to better meet regulatory changes and customer demand by setting up a manufacturing plant in Europe.HFCL emphasized that they are already well positioned to meet market demand in the European region as the shift from traditional cable and copper networks to OFC is occurring rapidly.One of the reasons HFCL chose to set up a plant in Poland was the country's relatively low costs and the availability of specialized skilled workers. The plant will have an initial capacity of around 3.25 million fiber kilometers, expandable to 7 million fiber kilometers, with an initial capex of Rs 1.44 billion.

HFCL has three manufacturing plants in India with an annual production capacity of 25 million core kilometers (fkm) of fiber optics, in-house R&D centers in Gurgaon and Bangalore, and has invested in R&D facilities and other R&D collaborators at various locations in India and abroad.

Forecasts indicate that demand for fiber optic cables in the European market will continue to climb at a CAGR of 4.5% per annum over the next five years. By 2028, demand for fiber is expected to reach 90 million core kilometers per year. In addition, the European FTTH Council also predicts that by 2028, approximately 308 million homes in the EU region will be connected to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks. This development not only promotes the rapid expansion of FTTH networks, but also brings unprecedented market opportunities for global fiber optic cable manufacturing companies.