Global electrification is fuelling demand for fibre optic technologies, according to OMC, the UK-based optoelectronics manufacturer, which reports rising orders for its industrial fibre-optic datalinks and optoelectronic cable assemblies used in high voltage infrastructure.
The company says accelerating investment in rail networks, and in power generation, transmission, distribution, and supply infrastructure, is driving interest in interference-resistant, electrically isolated optical systems that can support sensing, monitoring, communications, and control in mission-critical environments.
William Heath, Commercial Director at OMC, said the dielectric construction and optical isolation inherent to fibre optic systems makes them well suited to high voltage applications. He cited advantages including high safety margins, resistance to voltage breakdown, immunity to electromagnetic interference, low signal loss, and robust environmental performance.
Rising global electricity use is strengthening this trend. The International Energy Agency forecasts electricity demand to grow by 3.3% in 2025 and 3.7% in 2026, more than twice the pace of total energy demand over the same period. Although slower than the 4.4% surge recorded in 2024, growth remains well above the 2015 to 2023 average of 2.6%. Demand is being propelled by AI and cloud-computing data centres, the spread of wireless and smart technologies, the electrification of transport and heating, and the rapid expansion of renewable energy.
OMC says that while high voltage applications increasingly rely on optical isolation, maintaining consistent link performance across fibre-optic datalinks has proved difficult for many suppliers. In response, the company has developed a production service tailored to high voltage requirements, aiming to deliver complete datalinks with full consistency across transmitters, receivers, and cable assemblies.
The company draws on four decades of experience in glass and polymer fibre systems, combined with proprietary Active Alignment techniques that allow each transmitter and receiver to be tuned during manufacture to a customer-defined electro-optical performance window. Cable assemblies are then produced to match that window, minimising link-to-link variation.
“Most manufacturers of optical fibre cables don’t touch the transmitter or receiver part of the link, and few transmitter or receiver suppliers are specialists in fibre-optic cable assemblies,” said Heath. “Customers simply want an electrical-to-optical-to-electrical link that works safely, reliably, and consistently. In high voltage applications, where tolerances are tight, inconsistency between components can force customers into lengthy selection processes. Our approach allows us to supply production volumes of fully characterised links with 100% consistency.”
OMC offers transmitters, receivers, and connector styles across plastic and glass fibre systems, and produces both polymer and glass fibre assemblies in-house. The company says its complete datalink manufacturing service allows design engineers to avoid mixing off-the-shelf components, and it provides technology-agnostic advice to support application-specific choices.
Founded in the mid-1980s as The Fibre-Data Group and headquartered in Cornwall, OMC is one of Europe’s longest-established specialist optoelectronics manufacturers. It operates across four divisions covering fibre optics, LED backlights and optical mouldings, discrete optoelectronic components, and industrial LED lighting components. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 accreditation, and has previously won the UK National Electronic Component Award for Innovation and the Elektra Award for Excellence in Product Design for High Reliability Systems.
