Viavi expanded its line of fiber monitoring solutions with the launch of its next-generation Fiber Test Head for Distributed Acoustic Sensing (FTH-DAS) platform.

The vendor explained that the offering uses traditional optical fiber, almost like a microphone, continuously monitoring for potential damage to network cables. It can also measure network strain, vibration amplitude, and frequency, allowing infrastructure operators to gain insights from across multiple fibers.

The device’s built-in machine learning capabilities add to the monitoring competency by analyzing data from fiber links under test, providing faster tracking and event identification.

The underlying AI and machine learning component was built on the company’s related historical data, with the device capable of performing analysis without the need for external, remote, and centralized processing or manual intervention.

“To put this into context, a gas pipeline operator would not only be able to detect leaks, but also nearby digging, vehicles, and even footsteps, with the AI allowing for instantaneous and true alerts to prevent accidental damage before it happens," Kevin Oliver, VP and GM for fiber and access solutions at Viavi, explained.

The FTH-DAS launch marks Viavi’s latest Edge-based efforts following recent updates to its XEdge cloud-based monitoring platform focused on monitoring private 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi capabilities.