Fiber Focus pulled James Deane away from his desk for this episode to discuss his work as senior product design engineer for Sumitomo Electric Lightwave’s fiber optic cables.

Driven to make a positive impact on society through engineering, James considers every person who his work impacts, beginning with material mining and extending all the way through a cable’s lifecycle. Especially as it relates to customers in the AI Boom, he is focused on innovative ways to deliver the high-density bandwidth that network operators need on time with long-term reliability. His customer-centric approach aligns with the company’s, and it includes thoughtful packaging designs and time-saving deployment methods. Tune in to this episode to learn more.

Fiber Focus is a Sumitomo Electric Lightwave podcast. Subscribe, share this episode, and follow Sumitomo Electric Lightwave on LinkedIn and X.

Episode Links

Optical Fiber Cable Solutions: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/product-category/optical-fiber-cable-solutions/

James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-deane/

Meredyth on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meredythneilly

This episode of Fiber Focus features Josh Seawell, our director of product management, who is enthusiastic about the ways AI is poised to change people’s lives at home and work. For network operators, that potential comes with extraordinary opportunity in the near term to both deliver and seize tremendous value. The path to those customer experiences (and revenue) is through strategic investments in their infrastructure, and the time is now.

Legacy networks – any infrastructure built with mature technologies, whether greenfield or brownfield – make organizations less competitive and decrease their profits. Josh discusses some of the practical steps that operators can take to better meet the expectations of their customers starting today. Tune in to this conversation to learn more.

Josh will be among the industry experts speaking at DCD>Connect from March 23-24 at the Marriott Marquis, Times Square in New York.

Fiber Focus is a Sumitomo Electric Lightwave podcast. Subscribe, share this episode, and follow Sumitomo Electric Lightwave on LinkedIn and X.

Episode Links

Redefining “Legacy Network” Blog: https://blog.sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/what-is-a-legacy-network-in-2026

DCD>Connect New York: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/dcdconnect-live/new-york/2026/

Josh on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-seawell-09770979/

Meredyth on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meredythneilly

Connect with Sumitomo Electric Lightwave

Website: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sumitomoelectriclightwave

At a time when hyperscale network infrastructure projects are consuming most of the available bandwidth – both literally and figuratively – product manager Yuko Agano is here to let everyone else in on some good news.

Air-blown fiber technologies are consistently available to ship in two to three weeks!

Sumitomo Electric Lightwave manufactures air-blown fiber bundles right here in Raleigh, North Carolina, and as a subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (SEI), benefits from the collective purchasing power and supply chain relationships of 421 subsidiaries and affiliates in more than 40 countries around the world. This ready availability is one bright spot. Another is that air-blown fiber offers network operators some relief from having to compete with larger projects for skilled labor, since it requires fewer technicians and less time to install than conventional cable deployments.

Tune in to this conversation to learn more. To see FutureFLEX® Air-Blown Fiber® for yourself, connect with us in Booth 1658 at OFC 2026, March 17-19 in Los Angeles, California.

Fiber Focus is a Sumitomo Electric Lightwave podcast. Subscribe, share this episode, and follow Sumitomo Electric Lightwave on LinkedIn and X.

Episode Links

FutureFLEX® Air-Blown Fiber®:

https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/product-category/futureflex-air-blown-fiber-solutions/

About Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.: https://sumitomoelectric.com/company

Register for OFC 2026: https://www.ofcconference.org/registration?_gl=1*15rfs7i*_up*MQ..*_ga*NDIxNTg0ODA5LjE3NjU1NzA5MjA.*_ga_WCQ36P9K1M*czE3NjU1NzA5MjAkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjU1NzA5MjAkajYwJGwwJGgw

Yuko on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuko-agano-504927106/

Meredyth on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meredythneilly

Connect with Sumitomo Electric Lightwave

Website: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sumitomoelectriclightwave