Seattle, WA and Spartanburg, SC - October 20, 2020 – AFL and SENKO Advanced Components, Inc. (SENKO) announce the signing of the SN Technology Transfer and Patent License Agreement for SN Connectors and Adapters. With this agreement, AFL will begin the manufacturing of SN connectors and adapters while the intermateability standard is under development in IEC as IEC 61754-36 Type SAC connector. The SN interface has already been adopted in transceiver specifications of QSFP-DD and OSFP MSAs. These transceivers are the new specifications for the next generation of pluggable transceivers for 200Gbps, 400Gbps, and 800Gbps data center interconnects (DCI).
The SN connector is a new, duplex optical fiber connector that uses LC-style 1.25mm O.D. Zirconia ferrules, designed for the next generation Hyperscale, Edge, Enterprise, or Co-location DCI. The SN connector provides superior optical performance while reducing the typical number of connection points in the optical path. The SN connector was designed to provide individual and independent duplex fiber breakout at a quad-style transceiver (QSFP, QSFP-DD & OSFP) that is more efficient, reliable, and scalable than the MPO connector. The SFP-DD has also adopted the SN as their independent duo-style interface, mainly for the wireless fronthaul application.
Beyond transceiver interfaces, SN increases and improves the fiber density and capacity for the existing fiber optic cassettes and patch panels. Compared to the LC connector, SN provides 3 times higher density. This will further support the implementation of more fibers without adding new rack units, which can be used at multiple applications, not only DCI, but in telecom, wireless, and MSO as well.
Robert Dennelly, Director of Engineering & Product Management at AFL says, “We are excited about our Licensing Agreement with SENKO on the SN connector which will provide our Hyperscale customers with a new connector form, fit, and function to enable data transmissions of 400G and beyond. With the new SN connector, Hyperscale customers will be able to easily link individual duplex fiber connectors into QSFP-DD & OSFP transceivers, providing high-density, efficient installation and cost-effective deployment.”
Jim Hasegawa, Executive Vice President at SENKO says, “AFL is one of the most successful companies in the Telecommunication and Data Communication market and we are very excited with our partnership. We foresee the SN interface to be synonymous with high-speed DCI and wireless fronthaul connectivity, especially with the standardization effort of the SN at the IEC.”
*SN® is a Registered Trademark of SENKO Advanced Components, Inc. 2019‐2020 © All Rights Reserved
About AFL
Founded in 1984, AFL is an international manufacturer providing end-to-end solutions to the energy, service provider, enterprise and industrial markets as well as several emerging markets. The company’s products are in use in over 130 countries and include fiber optic cable and hardware, transmission and substation accessories, outside plant equipment, connectivity, test and inspection equipment, fusion splicers and training. AFL also offers a wide variety of services supporting data center, enterprise, wireless and outside plant applications.
Headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, AFL has operations in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujikura Ltd. of Japan.
