Sixth annual Gimme Fibre Day pays tribute to Sir Charles Kuen Kao

Members of the optical communications industry celebrated the sixth annual ‘Gimme Fibre Day’ on 4 November this year, by paying tribute to Sir Charles Kuen Kao, who passed away in September.

Launched in 2013, the global Gimme Fibre Day was created by the FTTH Council Global Alliance (including the five FTTH Councils: Africa, Americas, APAC, Europe and MENA) to celebrate fibre as a futureproof broadband access solution, and showcase how it has positively impacted global communities. Companies and individuals in the industry tool to social media to show their support using the hashtag #GimmeFibre

The 4 November was chosen for the event as it is the birthdate of Nobel Prize winner Sir Charles Kuen Kao, whose work in fibre optics is said to have helped to pave the way for the development of communications as we know them today. Professor Kao passed away on 23 September 2018.

The FTTH Councils’ Global Alliance, chaired by the FTTH Council Europe jointly paid tribute to Professor Kao on what would have been his birthday. A statement from the council said: ‘By showing the superior capacity of fibre optic cables for transmitting information, Professor Kao initiated a revolution in the world’s electronic communications sector and paved the way for the FTTH Councils’ and Fiber Broadband Association’s mission. Professor Kao’s findings dramatically changed our mode of communications and enabled the creation of a full ecosystem for innovation.’

It went on to say: ‘It is still a long way forward but fibre coverage is intensifying in every region of the world. While some regions are leading, the countries which were usually lagging behind are making all the efforts to catch-up. It is not only an economic issue, but also a social issue and this is the role of the FTTH Councils and Fiber Broadband Association to work towards this goal to ensure that no end-user, citizens or businesses are left behind.’