Highway and Safe City projects require that more image data be transmitted than ever before. This has brought growing demand for fiber optic transceivers.
Highway and Safe City projects require that more image data be transmitted than ever before. This has brought growing demand for fiber optic transceivers.
There are more than 100 Chinese fiber optic manufacturers in the following seven clusters: Beijing, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Changzhou. Beijing manufacturers enjoy the largest portion in terms of market share and manufacturer numbers (31 percent) with those in Shenzhen following (24 percent).
Several major public works endeavors, such as highways, Olympic facilities and Safe City (comprehensive city surveillance) projects, entail need for massive video image data transmission. This has propelled growth in the fiber optic transceiver market to 60 percent.
Vorx Telecommunications is one noticeable player from the Beijing area. 
Established in 2001 as the Institute of Telecommunication Technology and Equipment, a branch of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Vorx provides high-quality fiber optic communication equipment, said Vice General Manager Melissa Yang. "We offer the right products for broadcasting, transportation, telecom and surveillance."
Vorx has been selected for three new major highway projects in China; these involve deployment of 667 cameras over more than 1,000 kilometers and 345 lanes.
According to Yang, the company's VNX series is the best-selling product. "Our VNX series represents very mature technology and stable quality," Yang explained. "This series has a wide range of models that live up to different customer requirements."
Foreign applications that require enhanced networking performance or transmission capability between fiber and Internet will appreciate Vorx's network management software (NMS).
In addition, Vorx is developing a new networking module that is expected to provide a new-generation product for the electronic security industry.
Vorx's VNX-8V-6A-2D-NM offers digital non-compression transmission that is compatible with PAL, NTSC and SECAM signal standards. It supports RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485 data formats with a maximum transmission distance of 80 kilometers. Moreover, VNX's video performance exceeds Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) RS-250C video medium-haul standards.
Furthermore, video, audio, data and Ethernet interfaces are all protected against lightning and the series suffers from no electromagnetic or radio frequency (RF) interference.
Its power alarm module has a built-in battery with power-off protection as well as NMS, which monitors all key operational parameters via the graphic user interface (GUI).
Enhanced Quality
Another professional fiber optic product provider in Beijing is Fibridge. Established in 1995, the company now sells products in more than 90 countries.
The reliable performance of Fibridge product s has won positive remarks from 
international buyers. "The advantages of Fibridge products lie not only in our research and development capability but also our customer service," said General Manager Steven Zhang. "We have proved again and again that product quality is the key to any company's growth. That is why we have invested so heavily in testing equipment and manufacturing facilities."
Advanced quality control also requires experienced testing personnel. Zhang has hired experts to assess the company's quality control efforts. "Quality control requires not only top-notch devices but also intelligence," said Zhang. "Even though the costs involved are high, we figure that delivering the right quality is worth it."
Fibridge has renovated product lines and work environments. "All our floors have anti-static tiles," said Zhang. "From this, you can understand how we control the quality of products from start to finish."
According to Zhang, Fibridge is the first and only company in the electronic security industry to create manufacturing conditions from a purely scientific standpoint.
With more than 60 percent of revenue coming from exports, Zhang stressed the importance of international markets. "Our products have been used in, for example, the 14th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting facilities 
in Vietnam, rebroadcasting of the Australian Cricket Games and Korean intelligent traffic systems (ITS)."
At home in China, Fibridge products have been used in prominent projects, such as 2008 Olympic sporting facilities and the Tuoketuo power station the largest power station in Asia.
Academic Partnerships
Partnering with academic institutions strengthens R&D capabilities. Hangzhou OB Telecom has been cooperating with the only fiber optic communication technology laboratory for years.
"Close relationships with academic institutions is how we differentiate ourselves," said General Manager Tony Shi. It was through this partnership, he continued, that OB Telecom was able to successfully introduce one of the most adv transceivers in China its OB 9231 series.
"Overall performance has reached global standards," said Shi. "We used 10-bit PCM encoding and decoding technology as well as 15.36-MHz frequency to ensure image capture quality. Meanwhile, we have attained RS250C long-distance transmission requirements."
In addition, the company has advanced manufacturing facilities and equipment, including SMT machines, communication signal analyzers, Agilent optical time domain reflection meters, Anritsu spectral analyzers and Agilent logic analyzers. "The company uses only top-quality materials to meet UL and FCC requirements," he added.
Total Solution Provider
Tiandy a provider from Tianjin has been selling its fiber optic products in mature markets, such as the U.S., for years, said Francis Jing, Manager of Tiandy's International Department. "I believe that these years of experience have given our products' performance the ability to stand up to the biggest names in the industry."
Tiandy' s latest product the TC-FD4013NTR features 10-bit digitally 
encoded video transmission and support of duplex RS-485, RS-422 and RS-232. It is also compatible with NTSC, PAL or SECAM, and provides simultaneous transmission of video and data. The plug-play feature delivers user-friendliness with no adjustments by end users required. Moreover, LED indicators offer instant monitoring of system performance.
As demand for IP grows, Tiandy aims to be a total provider. "From an IP point of view and with Tiandy's robust R&D capabilities, we offer comprehensive IP video solutions, from IP cameras, network video servers and network video decoders to fiber optic transceivers," said Jing.