Corning Cable Systems upgrades fiber-to-the-antenna offering

Corning Cable Systems LLC, part of Corning Inc.’s (NYSE:GLW) Telecommunications segment, has announced additions to its range of products for remote radio head (RRH) and related fiber-to-the-antenna (FTTA) applications. The new members of the line include OptiSheath MF2 and MF4 MultiPort Fiber Terminal Solutions, Remote Radio Distribution Terminal (RRDT) and Remote Radio Cable Assembly (RRCA) products, and a Sealed Remote Radio Distribution Terminal (SRRDT) for tower and rooftop wireless applications.

The OptiSheath MF2 and MF4 MultiPort Fiber Terminal Solutions include terminals with two optical fibers per port (MF2) or four optical fibers per port (MF4), and remote radio cable assemblies (RRCAs). The fiber optic cable assemblies create the fiber-optic link between the remote radio unit and a tower-top consolidation terminal in FTTA applicatons.

The multi-port terminals are also available with or without an integrated cable stub for connection of a custom cable assembly. The integrated cable stub is available in a range of cable lengths, with both flat and round cable designs. The stub can be ordered with a bare end for splicing, or preterminated for plug-in connections. Non-stubbed terminals are used with a cable assembly with one multifiber connector (the OptiTip Vertical Cable Assembly) as an input from the tower base station.

The new RRDT and RRCA products are designed to create a direct optical link between the remote radio head and the base transceiver station. The RRDT can be configured for optical-only applications, optical and surge protection, or with an optical and electrical connection. The housing is lightweight for easy handling by installation crews, offering 24-fiber capacity, with the ability to support up to 12 remote radios at two fibers per radio. Surge protectors are available to help minimize outages due to lightning strikes and power surges, or low-cost terminal blocks can be selected when surge protection isn’t required.

The RRCAs are constructed using FREEDM Fan-Out Riser-Rated Indoor/Outdoor Cables. Vertical tower cable assemblies are constructed using FREEDM Riser-Rated Indoor/Outdoor Cables and can be ordered in a range of assembly lengths to support customer-specific FTTA applications.

Finally, the SRRDT has a rugged IP68-rated housing to keep out moisture and dust, and combines electrical and optical management into a single housing to reduce installation time. Like the RRDT, the SRRDT can be configured for optical-only applications, optical and surge protection, or with an optical and electrical connection. LC duplex connectors inside the housing provide optical connectivity between vertical cable assemblies and RRCAs. The SRRDT has a 36-fiber capacity, enough to provide up to 18 radios two fibers each for optical support.

The use of fiber not only for mobile backhaul but to connect elements within the tower structure itself is growing. For more information on FTTA, see “The X Factor Has Changed in FTTx” from the September/October 2011 issue of Lightwave.