Malaga – – September 22, 2026 -- Lightera confirmed its Multicore Fiber (MCF) technology is part of the OIF multi-vendor interoperability demonstration at ECOC 2026, running on stand 2126 in Malaga, Spain.
Lightera's MCF cuts fiber count by 75% versus conventional single-mode fiber
The company is supporting both a 500-meter and a 50-kilometer MCF demonstration using its 4-core, 125 μm clad diameter fiber, built with 40 μm pitch and ITU-T G.657.A2-compliant cores. According to Lightera, the design reduces fiber count by 75% compared to conventional single-mode fiber (SMF) and cuts weight and space requirements by up to four times.
OIF demonstration brings together technologies for AI-era network capacity
The showcase groups solutions from across the optical ecosystem to test how emerging Space Division Multiplexing (SDM) technologies perform in multi-vendor environments. John George, Senior Director of Global Business Development at Lightera, said the demonstration marks a step toward building the ecosystem needed to move MCF into future network deployment, citing industry collaboration as critical to advancing next-generation optical technologies amid rising network capacity demands.
Lightera continues development across fiber design, transmission and splicing
The company said it is working with industry partners on fiber design, transmission, connectivity and splicing technologies to accelerate the broader MCF ecosystem.