Skip to main content

Anritsu Enables Birch Technical Services to Build Multi-Core Fibre Testing Capability with MT9100A

03/11/2026
- Preparing engineers for multi-core fibre deployment with practical testing expertise and field-ready measurement capabilities

Pictured from left to right: a representative of Birch Technical Services, Andy Cole (Anritsu), Sophie Barc (Anritsu), Matt Birch (Birch Technical Services), Paul Cattell (Frame Communications), Mike Field (Frame Communications)

Vienna, Austria – 3 November 2026 – ANRITSU CORPORATION announced that UK installation specialist Birch Technical Services has invested in Anritsu’s Multi Channel Fiber Tester MT9100A, becoming the first installation contractor in the EMEA region to own the instrument.
With the investment in the MT9100A, Birch Technical Services is extending its in-house testing capabilities into multi-core fibre. The company brings experience across fibre network design, installation, fusion splicing, testing and certification, as the optical communications industry explores new approaches to increasing transmission capacity.
Frame Communications, an Anritsu distributor in the UK and Ireland, helped facilitate the sale, providing engineering-led pre-sales and on-site support. Its involvement highlights the value of regional partners in driving local sales.
Multi-core fibre uses multiple independent cores within a single cladding to increase transmission capacity through space division multiplexing, creating a need to measure inter-core crosstalk alongside conventional optical transmission characteristics. Anritsu’s MT9100A addresses these requirements with single-ended testing, removing the need for an operator or measurement instrument at the far end.
The MT9100A simultaneously measures attenuation loss, return loss and crosstalk across up to four connected cores, improving efficiency compared with sequential power-meter testing. Automatic pass/fail judgement supports troubleshooting, while its portable, battery-powered design enables laboratory and field use.
“Multi-core fibre has huge potential, but making it practical to deploy means giving engineers the right tools to test and troubleshoot it. That’s exactly where the MT9100A fits. We can support customers not just with technology, but with the knowledge and training needed to use it effectively,” said Sophie Barc, UK & Ireland Director Sales at Anritsu.
“Our engineers have spent years getting fibre characterization right on conventional networks, and multi-core is the next step. Being the first installation contractor in the EMEA region with the MT9100A puts us in a position to support customers as their multi-core requirements come through, rather than waiting for the market to arrive,” said Matt Birch, Director, Birch Technical Services.
For Birch Technical Services, the investment provides a foundation for developing the practical skills, measurement workflows and field experience needed to support customers as multi-core fibre moves towards wider adoption.

About Frame Communications
Frame Communications (https://frame.co.uk/) is an authorised Anritsu distributor across the UK and Ireland, delivering industry-leading test, measurement, and engineering solutions for over 30 years. 

About Anritsu
ANRITSU CORPORATION (www.anritsu.com), a global provider of innovative communications test and measurement solutions for 130 years. Anritsu’s philosophy engages customers as true partners to help develop wireless, optical, microwave/RF, and digital solutions for R&D, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance applications, as well as multidimensional service assurance solutions for network monitoring and optimization. Anritsu also provides precision microwave/RF components, optical devices, and high-speed electrical devices for communication products and systems. The company develops advanced solutions for 5G, M2M, IoT, as well as other emerging and legacy wireline and wireless communication markets. Headquartered in Japan, Anritsu has approximately 4,000 employees across its offices in the Americas, EMEA, Asia, and other regions worldwide.

For further information, please contact: 

Anritsu:
Enrico Brinciotti
Director - EMEA Business Development
Anritsu EMEA
Tel: +39 06 50997105
Email: enrico.brinciotti(ATMARK)anritsu.com
www.anritsu.com

Agency:
Edward Neale
Associate Director
Napier Partnership Limited
Tel: +44 (0) 1243 531123
Email: ed(ATMARK)napierb2b.com
www.napierb2b.com