2026 Lightwave Innovation Rewards highlights

AFL’s FlowScout OLTS
AFL’s FlowScout MPO OLTS is a native 16-fiber Tier I certifier that supports testing of MPO-16, MMC-16, MPO-12, MPO-8, and Duplex LC connectors in a single device. This allows customers to meet hyperscale and enterprise data center standards without needing multiple testers. The FlowScout MPO OLTS performs 16-fiber testing in just 6 seconds per port, using a single pass. This rapid testing, coupled with highly accurate pass/fail analysis based on industry or user-defined limits, ensures reliable certification across all fiber types.

Users can configure the OLTS to test at 1310/1550 nm wavelengths and apply custom thresholds or standards-based limits (e.g., TIA-568). This ensures compliance with both hyperscale and enterprise requirements. Featuring a smartphone-like touchscreen and an icon-driven UI reduces setup complexity, enabling novice technicians to quickly configure, test, and document fiber networks with minimal training. The FlowScout MPO OLTS tests both multi-fiber and duplex connectors, eliminating the need for separate testers, reducing capital expenditure, and simplifying equipment inventory management.

JUDGE'S COMMENT: “This is a handy fiber tester with a unique feature: it also supports testing of 16 fiber connectors in various form factors.”

Ekinops: C700HC
Combining the features of traditional WDM transport systems with data center interconnection (DCI)-specific platforms, Ekinops’ C700HC is a new class of hybrid optical transport equipment that can operate in both service provider central offices and data centers. The C700HC provides a common platform across both environments, with the same hardware, software, operating system, and management tools, delivering a unified transport solution that eliminates the boundaries between disparate applications.

With its “evergreen” design, it can easily transition across technology eras—10G, 100G, 800G—and even support multiple eras simultaneously, accommodating higher line rates and new technologies. With its modular architecture, an Ekinops360 chassis can be configured and reconfigured to match the service profile as needed, and as opportunities arise. 

JUDGE'S COMMENT: "A very versatile platform with up to 800 Gbps wavelengths.”

Fiberstamp: 1.6T OSFP224 HYBRID PSM8-AOC-Sipho
Fiberstamp’s 1.6T OSFP224 HYBRID PSM8-AOC delivers high-speed optical performance, supporting transmission distances of at least 500 meters over single-mode fiber. With maximum power consumption below 21 W—approximately 20% lower than traditional DSP-based solutions—it significantly improves energy efficiency.

Link latency is reduced by around 50%. At the same time, signal integrity remains excellent, achieving a pre-FEC BER of 1E-8 over a 500-meter SMF link, making it ideal for high-performance, low-latency data center interconnects.

JUDGE'S COMMENT: “This product provides an economic solution before 200G VCSEL becomes viable.”

Fiberstamp: 800G OSFP HYBRID ACC+
By leveraging a patented hybrid architecture that combines the strengths of existing PCC/ACC and AEC methodologies, Fiberstamp's Hybrid Architecture Active Copper Cable (ACC+) solutions deliver lower power consumption, lower latency, and lower cost than conventional active copper cables — while maintaining competitive reach performance. Traditional Active Copper Cables (AECs) are often constrained by high power consumption and latency at next-generation data rates.

Designed for commercial-grade applications, the hybrid architecture supports transmission distances of up to 5 meters. The architecture optimizes cost and latency, reducing both by roughly 50% compared to traditional AEC, and is superior to traditional ACC solutions, delivering a highly efficient, low-latency, high-performance interconnect.

JUDGE'S COMMENT: “The performance and power savings enabled by the Fiberstamp 800G OSFP HYBRID ACC+ introduce a better solution for today's ACC applications at 800G/port speeds."

Fiberstamp has launched a specialized 400G/800G network architecture tailored for the AI domain. This architecture supports PCC/ACC/AOC and multi-mode/single-mode optical modules, providing both QSFP-DD and OSFP packaging to meet diverse needs. 

JUDGE'S COMMENT: “A winning combination: High capability, low power consumption, ultra-low latency.”

LightRiver: Prism
LightRiver’s Prism simplifies the complexities of multi-vendor, multi-generation networks, empowering stakeholders to streamline operations and make informed decisions for future success. The Spectrum Optimization feature identifies opportunities to consolidate wavelengths and client services to optimize network capacity, leveraging real-time network data.

Spectrum Optimization will also auto-classify optimization opportunities where possible, mark unclassifiable opportunities as “needs review,” and allow the user to classify them as “as expected,” which will remove them from future scans. Spectrum Capacity Search enables users to identify and reserve contiguous frequencies with a specified spectral width between two optical terminal network (OTN) devices, using real-time network data.

JUDGE’S COMMENT: “This platform could be beneficial in fiber-starved scenarios.”

Sterlite Technologies: Multicore Fiber and World's Slimmest Fiber (864F IBR) for AI
Sterlite Technologies (STL) MultiCore Fiber (MCF) suite consists of ultra-thin fiber with 7 and 4 cores (instead of one), along with multicore fiber cables drawn from indigenously developed multicore pre-form technology. The multicore fiber leverages Space Division Multiplexing in 7- and 4-core fiber to achieve ultra-high transmission capacity per fiber within the same diameter.

This fiber was deployed in the Advanced Optical Communications (AOC) Test Bed project with DoT and IIT Chennai last year to evaluate its transmission performance under on-field conditions using advanced technologies. 

JUDGE'S COMMENT: “Multicore fiber breaks barriers and enables the next generation of optical communications.”

Sterlite Technologies: STL CONCAT - Spliceless Concatenated Cable Assembly System
By replacing labor-intensive fusion splicing with factory-assembled, plug-and-play connectivity, STL CONCAT eliminates dependence on scarce skilled technicians, reduces installation time, and ensures consistent, high-quality performance in the field.

Built on a modular architecture, STL CONCAT integrates four core elements: closures; plug-and-play connectors; pre-terminated MPO-LC cable assemblies for seamless distribution-to-access interconnection; drop splitter modules to extend the signal closer to the user; and a reusable reel system for simplified handling and reduced on-site waste. Adaptable to both aerial and underground networks, STL CONCAT supports FTTH and FTTB applications in dense urban areas and underserved rural regions. 

JUDGE'S COMMENT: “A great product concept that really helps in the field.”