Volex To Provide The Majority Of High-speed Sfp Cable Assembly Requirements To ZTE's Far East Market

ZTE will take advantage of Volex’s high-speed SFP copper cable assemblies for 2G, 3G and LTE (4G) mobile network solutions, replacing the expensive alternative of a short distance fibre-optic assembly without compromising signal integrity or compliance with industry standards for speed of data transfer. Volex will deliver the majority of ZTE’s requirements for these high speed assemblies at ZTE’s Shenzhen facility. The SFP standard can support transmissions of 3.1Gb/s over Ethernet while offering backwards compatibility to 1Gb/s for 2G mobile solutions and low power consumption.

Volex’s SFP product has been engineered for use in high-speed data environments such as the telecoms market, including mobile network switching centres and base station sites. Cable assemblies for these applications are relied upon to transmit increasing amounts of data at high speed, whilst maintaining low costs and reducing heat loss.

Conway Hui, Global VP, Telecoms and Datacoms, comments, “ZTE required a more cost-effective alternative than the cables it currently uses in the base stations used by its customers. Volex’s SFP assemblies are able to deliver a high rate of data transfer, while maintaining signal integrity and consuming lower levels of power, for 20% of the price ZTE had previously been paying for a fibre solution.”

A major factor in ZTE’s decision to choose Volex as the key supplier was its proprietary micro-welding technique; a highly innovative manufacturing process that ensures consistent high-quality performance for the end product supplied to ZTE’s customers. Volex’s customer responsiveness, flexible supply chain, and ability to deliver with short lead times were also critical factors in ZTE’s decision to award the contract to Volex.

Hui continues, “This is the first large-scale contract that has been agreed between Volex and ZTE – an organisation that operates in over 140 countries and services over half of the world’s top 100 telecom operators. It is a great win with a relatively new customer. We believe it will be the start of a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

Ray Walsh, CEO Volex Group, concludes, “The Telecoms market continues to be a key area of revenue growth for Volex. As the demand for high-speed data transfer in the Far East increases, Volex will continue to work with industry-leading customers like ZTE to deliver a product portfolio that puts it at the forefront of innovation and demonstrates the company’s commitment to be a supplier that delivers real added value to its business partners.”