Leading Financial Services Firm Selects AMP NetConnect Cabling Products - ING Variable Annuities building new headquarters in PPennsylvania - Brief Article

Fiber Optics Business, Dec 15, 2000

AMP NetConnect, a part of the Tyco Electronics unit of Tyco International Ltd., announced that ING Variable Annuities -- the brand identity for Golden American Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of ING Group NV, one of the largest integrated financial services companies worldwide -- has selected AMP NetConnect cabling systems for its newly-constructed headquarters.

The AMP NetConnect Quantum copper cabling and AMP/Pirelli multimode fiber optic cabling are being deployed in the new cabling infrastructure for the three-story, 120,000 square foot facility, located in West Chester, PA.

Richard H. Hogrogian, ING Variable Annuities' vice president for infrastructure and architecture, said, "When you build a new facility, you want it to last. And you want the cable plant to last - as long as the building, ideally."

In searching for an enduring cabling solution, Hogrogian was not only looking for a high quality system that would maintain its performance level over the years, but also one that would not be quickly rendered obsolete by the rapid pace of technological change. This criterion attracted Hogrogian to several advanced AMP NetConnect cabling products, including Quantum copper cable, AMP/Pirelli 50/125-micron multimode fiber optic cable, and the MT-RJ fiber optic connector.

"I was impressed by the end-to-end copper solutions they had with the Quantum cabling product line," added Hogrogian. "The AMP NetConnect Quantum Cabling System is a next-generation cabling system designed to exceed the emerging TIA Category 6 standards, and to support existing applications, as well as higher speed applications in the future."

"The cable offers remarkably low attenuation and exceptional near-end cross talk (NEXT) performance. The connecting hardware -- jacks and patch panels -- is designed to provide matching Category 6 performance while maintaining the density of existing AMP NetConnect modular products," continued Hogrogian.

But ING Variable Annuities also needed a state-of-the-art fiber cabling solution for its network backbone. The firm opted for AMP/Pirelli 50/125-micron multimode fiber optic cable. "That was another strategic consideration in our vendor selection," said Hogrogian. "It's one thing to have a vendor that can provide an end-to-end Category 6 cabling solution. But to have that same vendor be able to provide an end-to-end 50-micron fiber solution as well is even rarer."

To terminate the fibers, Hogrogian was looking for a connector system that offered excellent optical performance and high connector/fiber density. Most conventional fiber optic connectors take up a relatively large amount of panel space, and many terminate only a single fiber per connector. Since network links must be bi-directional, it's necessary to use two such connectors to terminate a single bi-directional fiber link. Because of this need, ING Variable Annuities chose the AMP MT-RJ connector. It is a compact connector system that has approximately the size and form factor of the RJ-45 modular connectors. Moreover, it terminates two optical fibers in a single ferrule, further increasing the fiber density.

The design and installation of the cabling system was carried out by Tangent Cable Systems, and AMP-authorized NetConnect design and installation (ND&I) contractor based in Wilmington, DE.