Optical Fibre Unit

The Optical Fibre Research Unit was established in the Department of Physics at NMU in 2001. Prof Andrew Leitch is the Head of the Optical Fibre Research Unit and Prof Tim Gibbon manages the Unit.  Dr Romeo Gamatham (employed by SKA-SA) assists with Nelson Mandela University’s work on the SKA project and student supervision.  There is further synergy with the Centre for Broadband Communication, with Prof Tim Gibbon as the Director.

The specific objectives of the Research Unit are the following:

• To research the factors necessary for upgrading to the Next Generation Network (NGN) in South Africa.
• To investigate the factors necessary for the deployment of “Fibre-to-the-Neighbourhood” (FTTX) in metropolitan areas in South Africa.
• To support efforts to establish a modern optical fibre network in Africa, through the training of postgraduate students from different African countries in the key technologies.

The Research Unit is generously supported by Telkom, Dartcom, Lambda Test Equipment and ATC South Africa. The project is also funded by the  South African National Laser Centre (NLC).

For further information on the Optical Fibre Research Unit, please visit the Department of Physics webpages.