Into this 30 year+ competition I come, like a veritable bull in the technical china-shop. I got the attention of Sumitomo by using LinkedIn to send about 100 of their employees on Monday (as well as a couple thousand others at Corning, YOFC, OFS, Prysmian, ZTT, Hengtong, Nokia, Fujikura, Furukawa, Futong, Fiberhome, Ciena, Huawei Marine, and SubCom) a statement:
"Your company should be selling a silica single-mode optical waveguide with a loss of 0.001 dB/kilometer. You'll think that's impossible but I know how to do it.
(What I have not yet mentioned is my belief that rather than the usual silica-fiber transmission "sweet spot" being about 1500-1600 nanometers, useful transmission will likely occur from 600-2000+ nanometer wavelength. This will keep fiber transmitter and receiver manufacturers busy for years!)
Well, THAT got Sumitomo's attention !!! What I proposed amounted to, in their industry, a leprechaun saddled on a unicorn, itself standing on the back of a winged-pig. Flying.