Optics Weekly · Week 40, 2026 · Sep 27 – Oct 3
opticsnews
Fiber Mega-Orders and Screen-Equipped Glasses Go Global
This issue covers September 27 to October 3, 2026. AT&T and Corning signed a fiber and cable supply agreement worth over $3 billion, and Hengtong Optic-Electric plans a 6.636 billion yuan placement for next-generation fiber and AI optical interconnects, as the fiber industry continues to expand. Meta Ray-Ban Display goes on sale outside the US, while INMO AIR3 is recalled over overheating. In research, EPFL unveiled a self-injection-locked integrated laser needing no active control, the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics proposed programming light sources with free-electron wave packets, and DTU nearly doubled low-noise supercontinuum range. China installed 525,500 LiDAR units in August, with Hesai and Huawei almost tied.
Fiber Expansion and Long-Term Orders
In this sectionAT&T and Corning sign a multi-year fiber and cable agreement worth over $3 billion; Hengtong Optic-Electric plans a 6.636 billion yuan private placement for next-generation fiber and AI optical interconnects; Junheng Technology expands its Wuhan optical module base with 2 million units of new capacity.
AT&T and Corning Sign Multiyear Fiber Optic Cable Supply Agreement Worth More Than $3 Billion
AT&T announced a multiyear fiber optic cable supply agreement with Corning worth more than $3 billion in total. Corning will continue delivering fiber and cable for AT&T's home broadband expansion. AT&T said average monthly traffic per fiber user has surpassed 1 TB, five times the 2016 level.
Hengtong Optic-Electric Plans to Raise CNY 6.636 Billion for Next-Generation Optical Fiber and AI Optical Interconnect
Hengtong Optic-Electric has released a private placement plan to raise up to CNY 6.636 billion for next-generation optical fiber R&D and production, construction of high-end optical new materials in Inner Mongolia, and advanced AI optical interconnect projects. The issuance will target no more than 35 investors.
Huiyu Ecology Subsidiary Junheng Technology Expands Wuhan Optical Module Base, Adding 2 Million Units of Capacity
Huiyu Ecology announced that its majority-owned subsidiary Wuhan Junheng Technology plans to build an R&D and production base in the Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone, replacing and upgrading its existing annual capacity of 1.5 million units. Once completed, the project will add 2 million units of optical module capacity.
AI Glasses: Advances and Setbacks
In this sectionMeta Ray-Ban Display launches internationally with online ordering; Ray-Ban Meta Audio drops the camera; INMO AIR3 recalled in the US and Canada over temple overheating; XPANCEO advances AR contact lens materials.
UploadVR (Glasses & Hardware)Optics industryOptics and AISep 28Meta Ray-Ban Display Launches Internationally, with Online Ordering and New Features
At Connect 2026, Meta announced that Meta Ray-Ban Display will go on sale outside the US, with online ordering and no in-store fitting required, plus new features such as third-party app discovery and navigation improvements.
OFweek Optics · NewsOptics and AISep 29INMO AIR3 Recalled in US and Canada Over Temple Overheating, Testing Smart Glasses Thermal Design
The US CPSC and Health Canada issued a recall on September 24 after the left temple of INMO AIR3 smart glasses could overheat during prolonged use. INMO has received 10 overheating reports, including burning sensations on the face and left ear. The recall covers about 1,643 pairs in the US and about 120 pairs in Canada, with free repairs and system updates offered as the remedy.
UploadVR (Glasses & Hardware)Optics and AISep 28Ray-Ban Meta Audio Drops the Camera for a Lighter Design That Is Easier for Society to Accept
Meta unveiled the Ray-Ban Meta Audio at Connect 2026, removing the camera and adopting a lighter, more fashionable design that is easier for society to accept amid public privacy concerns.
XPANCEO partners with Contamac to advance AR contact lenses using FDA-cleared ophthalmic materials
Smart contact lens company XPANCEO has partnered with Contamac to advance the development of AR contact lenses using materials already used in FDA-cleared ophthalmic devices.
Lasers and Quantum Light Sources
In this sectionEPFL's photonic integrated self-injection-locked laser needs no active control; Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics programs coherent and quantum light sources with free-electron wave packets; DTU heat-treats fiber to nearly double low-noise supercontinuum range; cluster states transmitted over 29.5 km of deployed fiber.
Phys.org Optics & PhotonicsOptics industryOct 2EPFL develops photonic integrated laser that stays locked without active control
Researchers at EPFL have developed a photonic integrated, infinite self-injection-locked laser that remains locked without active control and has been packaged in a fiber-coupled standard butterfly package.
SIOM · Research NewsFirst-partyOptics industrySep 30SIOM Proposes Programming Coherent and Quantum Light Sources with Free-Electron Wave Packets
Researcher Tian Ye and Academician Li Ruxin at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), together with Researcher Pan Yiming at ShanghaiTech University and colleagues, have proposed a new mechanism that uses the quadratic phase accumulated during the propagation of free-electron quantum wave packets to simultaneously achieve selectable high-harmonic bunching and synthesis of nonclassical quantum light, linking quantum state control, high-harmonic radiation and quantum light synthesis.
Laser Focus WorldOptics industrySep 30DTU 'Bakes' Fiber to Nearly Double the Range of Ultralow-Noise Supercontinuum Lasers
A team at DTU Electro in Denmark has made progress on ultralow-noise supercontinuum lasers, using heat treatment of the fiber to nearly double the spectral range compared with similar low-noise sources.
Light: Science & ApplicationsOptics industryOct 1Multilevel Time-Encoded Cluster State Transmitted Over 29.5 km Deployed Fiber
A paper in Light: Science & Applications used multilevel time encoding to transmit a cluster state over 29.5 km of partially deployed fiber.
LiDAR and Metrology
In this sectionChina installed 525,500 LiDAR units in passenger vehicles in August, with Hesai just 65 units behind Huawei; growth logic diverges among the top three. Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics uses improved YOLOv8-seg to analyze high-power laser spots, while AIST achieves 2 nm accuracy in curved mirror surface measurement.
OFweek Laser · NewsOptics industryOptics and AISep 30China Passenger Vehicle LiDAR Installations Reach 525,500 Units in August, with Hesai Just 65 Units Behind Huawei
Data from NE Times shows that LiDAR installations in Chinese passenger vehicles reached 525,500 units in August 2026. Hesai installed 182,436 units, just 65 fewer than Huawei, and the two together accounted for 69.4%. The growth logic is extending beyond simply adding vehicle models to multiple LiDARs per vehicle, robot perception and 3D spatial mapping.
OFweek Laser · NewsOptics industryOptics and AISep 28China's Top Three LiDAR Players Reorder Their Business Priorities as Growth Logic Diverges
Hesai, Seyond and RoboSense successively released financial reports in August. Comparing the three, the article points out that as mass-produced vehicle models, robotics and embodied intelligence become real demand, the growth logic of leading LiDAR companies is diverging.
SIOM · Research NewsFirst-partyOptics industryOptics and AISep 30SIOM Uses Improved YOLOv8-seg for Intelligent Laser Spot Analysis in High-Power Laser Facilities
The Joint Laboratory for High Power Laser and Physics at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) has proposed a laser spot analysis system based on an improved YOLOv8-seg to meet the need for rapid, precise alignment of optics along the full chain of high-power laser facilities, and has completed experimental validation.
Phys.org Optics & PhotonicsOptics industrySep 30Japan's AIST Measures Absolute Surface Shape of Curved Mirrors Without Contact, with 2 nm Accuracy
Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has developed a new device that determines the absolute surface shape of curved mirrors without contact by measuring the local angular distribution, achieving 2 nm accuracy.