FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TIA Fiber Optics LAN Section Expands Charter to Address Fiber Use in All Customer-Owned Networks

 
Arlington, Va., February 6, 2003: To help users better evaluate the benefits that fiber cable can bring to premises networks, the Fiber Optics LAN Section of the Telecommunications Industry Association has expanded its scope to focus on all customer-owned network. FOLS members regularly publish white papers, speak at industry conferences, and author news articles and case histories and are involved with standards development. FOLS also maintains a website (www.fols.org ) with material that educates end users on fiber in various applications and vertical markets and links to other resources. Most recently, the Section hosted a webconference that introduced the Section's proprietary interactive cost models, which compare the installed first costs of fiber-based LANs with those of UTP copper LANs.  
 
When it was founded in 1993, the Section mission was to provide information on the use of fiber only in the backbone and horizontal portion of premises networks. "When we first launched the FOLS, fiber was a still relatively new in LANs, especially in the horizontal portion of networks," said John Struhar, FOLS Chair. "Now, our members see fiber being used to address the specific needs of a variety of applications - from industrial networks to inside central offices. In response, we have decided to expand the scope of our charter to include all customer-owned networks."  
 
Specifically, FOLS will now address the use of fiber in LANs, storage area networks (SANs), data centers, industrial applications, building automation systems, security systems and fiber in the home. "This is a natural extension of our efforts," said Struhar. "Users in many of the newer applications may not be that familiar with the benefits of optical fiber and we believe that the FOLS can provide the information they need to make an educated decision about their cabling infrastructure."  
 
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The FOLS focuses on educating end users and influencers about the technical advantages and affordability that optical transmission brings to local area networks and fiber-to-the-desk applications. Member companies of the FOLS include 3M/Volition, AMP/Tyco Electronics, Corning, Leviton Voice & Data, Micro Linear Corporation, OFS, Optek Technology, Panduit, Ortronics, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave and Transition Networks. Visit the FOLS at http://www.fols.org.  
 
TIA is the leading trade association serving the communications and information technology industry, with proven strengths in market development, trade shows, domestic and international advocacy, standards development and enabling e-business. Through its worldwide activities, the association facilitates business development opportunities and a competitive market environment. The association provides a market-focused forum for its more than 1,000 member companies that manufacture or supply the products and services used in global communications. TIA represents the communications sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). Visit us at http://www.tiaonline.org.  
 
Note: The opinions expressed in this release are those of the Fiber Optics LAN Section of the Telecommunications Industry Association and are not necessarily those of the entire TIA membership.