ANRITSU CORPORATION says it has developed the industry’s first^*1 Multi Channel Fibre Tester MT9100A, enabling transmission quality evaluation of multicore fibres supporting next-generation high-capacity optical communications.

The company says while the test solution has been offered exclusively in Japan since November 2025, it can now announce its official global rollout. This test solution is based on the multi-channel OTDR method invented by Special Honorary Professor Masataka Nakazawa at Tohoku University. By synchronising multiple Optical Time Domain Reflectometers (OTDRs), this method measures both the transmission and return losses in multicore fibres, as well as measures and visualises the distribution of signal interference between cores (inter-core crosstalk) along the fibre length.

Anritsu says this test solution with four OTDR channels, provides powerful support for applications such as verifying optimal installation conditions during R&D, and high-speed inspection tasks required by manufacturing.

Development Background

The recent proliferation of AI and cloud services has driven a continuous increase in transmission capacity for optical communications linking submarine cables and data centres. However, the transmission capacity of conventional optical fibre is nearing its limits. As a solution, “multicore fibres,” which independently accommodate multiple cores (optical transmission paths) within a single fibre, are gaining attention.

Research on multicore fibres has been conducted since the 2000s. Anritsu says it has collaborated with Tohoku University, a pioneer in this field, to develop measurement methods using the multi-channel OTDR method. For the practical application of multicore fibres, quality evaluation including core-to-core crosstalk and technology for high-speed inspection are required. To address these market challenges, it has commercialised a multi-channel OTDR measurement instrument capable of evaluating multicore fibres.

 

 *1: As a multi-channel OTDR-based tester (Anritsu survey as of November 2025)

 

 

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