Birla Furukawa Fibre Optics Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Universal Cables Ltd. and Japan’s Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd., has approved a phased expansion of its optical fibre production capacity to almost three times its existing capacity. The expansion, involving an estimated investment of INR 4,800 crore, will also include a state-of-the-art upstream preform manufacturing facility.
Aug 07, 2026
The Joint Venturers viz. Universal Cables Limited, India and Furukawa Electric Co, Ltd., Japan have approved an INR 4,800-crore (approximately USD 500 million) investment. It is planned to be used for the phased augmentation of optical fibre production capacity and the establishment of a state-of-the-art upstream preform manufacturing facility. The project will be implemented in India and is targeted for completion by December 31, 2028.
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The planned investment Birla Furukawa Fibre Optics Pvt. Ltd. will be funded through a combination of internal accruals, equity and debt. The JV will manufacture high-performance optical fibre and perform under technical collaboration with Lightera LLC, USA, and Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd., Japan.
The expansion comes amid expectations of strong medium- to long-term demand for high-performance optical fibre. According to the company, the rapid adoption of generative AI, growth in cloud services, increasing investments in hyperscale data centres and continued expansion of communication infrastructure networks are expected to significantly increase demand for optical fibre.
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The addition of an upstream preform manufacturing facility is expected to support the expanded optical-fibre production capacity. The project is currently subject to detailed engineering and evaluation of other project-related aspects.
