A new type of optical fiber from Corning will make the installation of FTTP profoundly easier, and will be a first giant step toward making in-building fiber wiring practical. Corning said the first, largest beneficiary will be Verizon, which was involved in the development of the new fiber.

Optical fiber has long been flexible enough to bend around corners, but doing so compromises its ability to transmit light; if bent too sharply, signals are completely lost. Corning’s new fiber can fit around corners – can even be looped – with minimal signal loss, which will make fiber much, much easier to install, especially in commercial and residential buildings.

Corning says its new single-mode fiber is over 100 times more bendable than standard fibers, while maintaining compatibility with industry performance standards, existing manufacturing processes and installation procedures. “So customers don’t have to sacrifice one benefit to get another,” said Peter F. Volanakis, president and chief operating officer at Corning.

The company has not released any details about the underlying technology, other than to say it involves nanostructure technology. Corning was not able to respond to calls on short notice.

“Continued innovation in advanced telecommunications networks is critical to the long-term success of Verizon and our ability to provide our FiOS service on a mass scale in the United States,” said Paul Lacouture, executive vice president of Engineering and Technology, Verizon Telecom Group.

“We are working closely with Corning to solve the challenges of providing fiber solutions to high-rise apartment complexes across the United States. This fiber technology will enable us to bring faster Internet speeds, higher-quality high-definition content, and more interactive capabilities than any other platform which exists today.”