AFL’s Fujikura 100S Splicer Wins Platinum ISE Innovation Award
AFL, a Spartanburg, South Carolina-based manufacturer of fiber optic cable and connectivity equipment, announced that its Fujikura 100S Core Alignment Splicer has been named a Platinum Honoree in the 2026 ISE Network Innovators’ Awards. The recognition places the device among the top-rated products evaluated this year by ISE, a publication that tracks equipment and technology used in the broadband and telecommunications installation industry.
According to the company, the 100S was singled out for design features aimed at reducing the amount of time technicians spend preparing and completing fiber splices in the field. Among the cited capabilities is a dual-fiber loading system that allows two fibers to be placed into the machine simultaneously, rather than one at a time, which AFL says shortens the overall splicing process. The device also includes a feature called Splice Coach, which provides real-time, on-screen guidance to technicians as they work through each step of a splice.
AFL positioned the Splice Coach function as particularly useful for newer or less experienced technicians, since it is designed to help build proficiency while a job is underway rather than requiring separate training sessions beforehand. The company said the combination of faster fiber loading and in-the-moment instruction reflects a broader effort to make splicing equipment more accessible to a workforce that includes both veteran installers and recent hires entering the field as broadband deployment accelerates nationwide.
The ISE Network Innovators’ Awards are decided through an evaluation process that considers factors such as ease of use, technical performance, and the practical impact a product has on installation and maintenance work in the field. A Platinum designation represents the highest tier of recognition the program awards, distinguishing products judged to offer meaningful improvements over existing tools in their category.
The recognition arrives at a moment when demand for fiber optic infrastructure continues to expand across the United States, driven in part by federal broadband funding programs, data center growth, and telecommunications carriers upgrading legacy copper networks to fiber. That expansion has increased pressure on installation crews to complete splicing work quickly and accurately, since fiber connections require precise alignment to maintain signal quality over long distances.
Industry observers note that splicing equipment has become an increasingly important focus for manufacturers as the labor pool for fiber installation work has struggled to keep pace with project timelines. Tools that shorten training curves or reduce the time required per splice can have an outsized effect on project schedules, particularly for contractors managing large-scale rural broadband builds or urban network densification projects tied to wireless and data infrastructure upgrades. Core alignment splicers, which use precision optics to align the glass cores of two fiber strands before fusing them together, are considered a critical piece of equipment on virtually every fiber deployment, making incremental improvements in speed and usability closely watched within the sector.
AFL has built a long-standing presence in the fiber optics equipment market through its Fujikura splicer line, which is used by contractors, utilities, and telecommunications carriers across residential, commercial, and long-haul network projects. The company manufactures both cabling and connectivity hardware, positioning it as a supplier across multiple stages of network construction, from cable production to the tools used to join fiber strands in the field.
Additional details about the Platinum honor and the ISE Network Innovators’ Awards program were outlined in AFL’s announcement distributed via Business Wire.
