Corning CEO: Europe’s Supply Chain Can’t Meet Demand for Optical Fiber

According to Wendell Weeks, chief executive of tech company Corning, the EU is lacking a supply chain to deliver fiber optic cable needed for 5G networks.

Weeks said the EU doesn’t “really have a robust supply chain,” according to Financial Times (FT).

Corning recently opened one of the biggest optical fiber plants in the world in Poland, which will try and meet around 30% of the demand in Europe for the next year. Optical fiber is made of very thin glass and is sent to cable manufacturers, who use it for telecoms networks.

“The global supply chain is not what we thought it was, and manufacturers like us need to take on the responsibility of producing closer to our customers,” Weeks said, per FT.

Right now, European cable manufacturers import over half their fiber from Asia and North America. Demand for the material has surged in the last three years due to 5G infrastructure debts. 5G needs around 100 times more fiber than the current networks.

Tech companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft have spent billions on expanding their data center estates, which has included laying big international fiber networks under the ocean.

PYMNTS wrote recently that 5G has been making waves due to its speed. Chris Melus, vice president of product development and advanced wireless solutions at T-Mobile for Business, said it has big implications for retail and tech.

Read more: T-Mobile Says 5G and Embedded Payments Set to Unlock New Connected Retail Experiences

Melus said 5G could add more speed and security and make extended reality apps possible. He said 5G would be able to help customers get assistance more easily as well, including when they can’t find someone in the store.

“Wouldn’t it be great if you could virtually talk to another associate at another location who maybe isn’t as busy?” he said. “You can bring that experience and have people come all the way across the country and be there and help a customer without having them have to wait so they can quickly go out.”

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