OCC® Introduces Industry's First Next Generation Category 8 Connector

ROANOKE, Va., Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Optical Cable Corporation (Nasdaq GM: OCC) ("OCC^®" or the "Company") today announced the introduction of the first commercially available connector designed to meet the coming Category 8 (Cat8) copper connectivity and cabling industry standard developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) (www.tiaonline.org).   

OCC's Cat8 Field Terminable Plug is designed to provide the highest level of performance for direct attach, high speed applications when used in combination with a Category 8 copper cable, providing data transmission speeds of up to 40 Gb/s (gigabits per second). 

The Company's new Cat8 plug meets the latest draft of ANSI/TIA-568-C.2-1 Balanced Twisted-Pair Telecommunications Cabling and Components Standard, Addendum 1: Specifications for 100 ohms Category 8 Cabling, expected to be released for publication by the TIA late next year.  The Category 8 standard defines the performance requirements of copper cables and connectivity for the next generation of BASE-T Ethernet being developed by the IEEE in the P802.3bq Task Force, which will be termed 40GBASE-T.

"Our introduction of the industry's first Category 8 plug is another example of OCC's industry leadership and the strength of our team—in both copper and fiber optic cabling and connectivity products," said Neil Wilkin, OCC's Chairman, President and CEO.

OCC has a long history of active leadership in product and standard development for Category connectivity products, as well as the design and manufacture of test fixtures used by the industry to verify cable and connectivity performance in accordance with TIA Category standards.

"OCC's Category test fixtures provide manufacturers and other members of the telecommunications industry a better methodology and better process control for guaranteeing Category level performance in connectors and cabling," said Derrick Stikeleather, OCC Product Design Engineer and member of the TIA TR-42.7 Engineering Subcommittee. "We are proud of our active contributions over the years to the Category connectivity and cabling standards development within the TIA committees," Mr. Stikeleather added.

The OCC Category 8 Field Installable Plug announced today uses the same shielded housing used in the Company's Category 6A Shielded Field Installable Plug—a design that enables simple terminations with no specialized tools.  These products are ideal for direct attach, high speed links and data center server connections. 

"We are known for our thoughtful design, exceptional performance, and reliable product craftsmanship at OCC," explains Dr. Ian Timmins, Vice President, Engineering (Enterprise Connectivity).  "These qualities are at the heart of OCC's engineering and development of the next generation of fiber optic and copper cabling and connectivity technologies and solutions," added Dr. Timmins. 

OCC's Category 8 Field Installable Plug provides consistent and reliable terminations that are guaranteed to meet and exceed the proposed Category 8 standard when paired with compliant Category 8 cable. And, OCC's Cat8 plug is fully backward compatible with existing RJ-45 infrastructure, including Cat6A, Cat6 and Cat5e cabling.

OCC believes faster cabling and connectivity systems are essential to meet future data communication needs.  As a compliant Category 8 cable becomes available, OCC now has a connector to deliver the next generation of Category 8 performance. 

OCC's Category 8 Field Terminable Plug has a patent pending.

Company Information

Optical Cable Corporation ("OCC^®") is a leading manufacturer of a broad range of fiber optic and copper data communication cabling and connectivity solutions primarily for the enterprise market (or non-carrier market), offering an integrated suite of high quality products, which operate as a system solution or seamlessly integrate with other providers' offerings.  OCC's product offerings include designs for uses ranging from commercial, enterprise network, datacenter, wireless, residential and campus installations to customized products for specialty applications and harsh environments, including military, industrial, mining, petrochemical, wireless carrier and broadcast applications.  OCC products include fiber optic and copper cabling, fiber optic and copper connectors, specialty fiber optic and copper connectors, fiber optic and copper patch cords, pre-terminated fiber optic and copper cable assemblies, racks, cabinets, datacom enclosures, fiber optic and copper patch panels, face plates, multi-media boxes, wireless distributed antenna systems, fiber optic reels and accessories and other cable and connectivity management accessories.  OCC products are designed to meet the most demanding needs of end-users, delivering a high degree of reliability and outstanding performance characteristics. 

OCC^® is internationally recognized for pioneering the design and production of fiber optic cables for the most demanding military field applications, as well as of fiber optic cables suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and creating a broad product offering built on the evolution of these fundamental technologies.  OCC also is internationally recognized for its role in establishing copper connectivity data communications standards, through its innovative and patented technologies.

Founded in 1983, OCC is headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia with offices, manufacturing and warehouse facilities located in each of Roanoke, Virginia, near Asheville, North Carolina and near Dallas, Texas.  OCC's facilities are ISO 9001:2008 registered, and OCC's Roanoke and Dallas facilities are MIL-STD-790F certified.

Optical Cable Corporation, OCC^®, Procyon^®, Superior Modular Products, SMP Data Communications, Applied Optical Systems, and associated logos are trademarks of Optical Cable Corporation.

Further information about OCC^® is available at www.occfiber.com or by calling 800-622-7711.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release by Optical Cable Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company" or "OCC") may contain certain forward-looking information within the meaning of the federal securities laws. The forward-looking information may include, among other information, (i) statements concerning our outlook for the future, (ii) statements of belief, anticipation or expectation, (iii) future plans, strategies or anticipated events, and (iv) similar information and statements concerning matters that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown variables, uncertainties, contingencies and risks that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from our expectations, and such known and unknown variables, uncertainties, contingencies and risks may also adversely affect Optical Cable Corporation and its subsidiaries, the Company's future results of operations and future financial condition, and/or the future equity value of the Company.  A partial list of such variables, uncertainties, contingencies and risks that could cause or contribute to such differences from our expectations or that could otherwise adversely affect Optical Cable Corporation and its subsidiaries is set forth in Optical Cable Corporation's quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") under the heading "Forward-Looking Information."  OCC's quarterly and annual reports are available to the public on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.  In providing forward-looking information, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update this information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by applicable laws and regulations. 

SOURCE Optical Cable Corporation