Local Manufacturing & Technology Ownership

In 2016, Bill Kotsakidis joined the business as a part owner, marking a strategic shift toward in-house manufacturing and engineering-led product development.

Diamond Optics established a 600 m² production facility in Sunshine, Victoria, creating formal capability to design and manufacture optical connectivity products locally. In the same year, the company acquired Diamond Swiss manufacturing technology, enabling local production of Diamond-grade optical interfaces and assemblies with full control over performance, quality, and lead times.

Carrier Approval & Market Expansion

In 2018, Diamond Optics received formal technical approval from Telstra for optical connectivity products—validating the company’s manufacturing quality, compliance, and carrier-grade performance.

During this period, Diamond Optics:

• Supplied Ericsson with approximately 600 optical connectivity and accessory items
• Expanded its footprint across carrier, enterprise, and infrastructure projects
• Commenced development of an RFID-enabled connectivity platform, focused on asset identification, lifecycle management, and improved network visibility

Hybrid Mobile Innovation, RRU Evolution & IOT Smart Features

In 2019, Diamond Optics won a Telstra tender and long-term contract to supply hybrid power-and-fibre mobile tower solutions, supporting nationwide radio access network deployments.

As mobile sites evolved from 4 RRU to 6 and 9 RRU configurations, Diamond Optics enhanced its hybrid cabling architecture to support:

• Increased power delivery requirements
• Higher fibre density and redundancy
• Reduced tower congestion and faster installation times

These enhancements enabled carriers to scale radio capacity while minimising tower weight, wind loading, and civil upgrade costs.

In parallel, Diamond Optics developed NB-IoT battery tracking technology to address theft and unplanned outages at remote base stations, helping carriers lower operational risk, improve asset visibility, and reduce ongoing maintenance costs. Proven in the Field!

Leadership Transition & Technology Acceleration

In July 2020, Bill Kotsakidis took a controlling stake in Diamond Optics, accelerating investment in R&D, manufacturing capability, and systems-level innovation.

Following this transition, Diamond Optics:

• Developed a solid-state optical amplifier platform, including all supporting accessories
• Supplied this technology into Telstra deployments through 2021–2022
• Continued refinement of the RFID connectivity platform, concluding formal development in 2022

This period marked Diamond Optics’ evolution from a connectivity supplier into a technology-driven solutions provider.

Critical Infrastructure & Space Communications

In 2021, Diamond Optics was awarded a contract to supply optical connectivity products to Ventia for the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO)—one of the world’s most advanced radio astronomy and deep-space communications projects.

As part of this engagement, Diamond Optics designed and manufactured a specialised 288-fibre cable with custom-engineered breakout lengths, specifically developed to reduce the number of interconnect points and minimise optical loss across the system. This approach delivered improved signal integrity and long-term reliability for a mission-critical scientific installation.

Manufacturing Expansion & Rapid Prototyping

In 2023, Diamond Optics relocated to a larger production facility in Deer Park, Victoria, significantly expanding local manufacturing and development capacity.

Key investments included:

• Advanced 3D printing for rapid prototyping, tooling, and fixture development
• Automation of high-density MTP/MPO testing, improving throughput and repeatability
• Enhanced fibre inspection, interferometry, and performance validation processes

These upgrades reduced development cycles and strengthened Diamond Optics’ ability to co-engineer solutions with customers.

FlexiPatch Platform Development

In 2024, Diamond Optics worked closely with customers to develop the FlexiPatch high-density modular fibre platform, addressing the growing demand for scalable, serviceable, and ultra-dense connectivity in data centre and carrier environments.

The platform was designed around:

• 1 RU high-density architecture
• MTP/MPO backbone connectivity
• Hot-swappable, application-specific fibre modules

Modular Connectivity, Optical Sensing & Safety Systems

In 2025, Diamond Optics further expanded its technology portfolio across modular connectivity and optical sensing solutions, supporting safety-critical and data-driven infrastructure.

Key developments included:

High-Density Modular Connectivity

The FlexiPatch platform underwent significant refinement, driven by real-world deployments and customer feedback. Enhancements focused on:

• Increased modularity
• True plug-and-play components
• Support for multiple connector types, splitters, and DWDM elements
• Faster deployment and reconfiguration without service interruption

Optical Fibre Sensing & Arc Flash Detection

Diamond Optics developed optical fibre–based arc flash detection systems using Plastic Optical Fibre (POF), integrated with protection relays and control systems.

These solutions provide:

• Non-conductive sensing immune to electromagnetic interference
• Sub-millisecond optical response for rapid fault isolation
• Ruggedised performance for mining and high-voltage industrial environments

CSIRO Specialty Power & Fibre Sensing Cable

In collaboration with CSIRO, Diamond Optics developed a specialty hybrid power-and-fibre cable engineered to be winched through long underground manholes for mining and research applications.

The system integrates power delivery with optical sensing to enable:

• Distributed temperature and environmental monitoring
• Early detection of thermal anomalies and critical safety conditions
• Reduced installation complexity through fewer cables and interconnect points

This work reinforces Diamond Optics’ capability to deliver custom-engineered, safety-focused optical systems for critical infrastructure.

High-Density Connectivity & Future Networks

Diamond Optics’ current development focus reflects the evolving needs of carriers, data centres, and industrial networks, including:

• High-density modular fibre panels, supporting up to 288 fibre ports in 1 RU
• Advanced MTP/MPO-based architectures for carrier and hyperscale data centres
• Grade A and ultra-low-loss optical interfaces for next-generation networks
• Continued innovation in hybrid cabling, modular systems, and intelligent infrastructure

These developments position Diamond Optics to support 5G, data centre densification, edge computing, and future optical network architectures.