Draka begins North American production of BendBright-XS

SEPTEMBER 19, 2008 -- Draka Communications (search for Draka Communications) today announced that it will commence production of BendBright-XS bend-insensitive optical fiber at its flagship Claremont, NC, manufacturing facility.
 
The demand for BendBright-XS in North America has been driven mainly by large scale deployments of FTTH access networks by the major telecommunications providers, confirm company representatives. With these access networks extending all the way to single family homes and more recently multi-dwelling units (MDUs), the need has surfaced for a robust, easy-to-install optical fiber that can endure the rigors of traditional copper cable installations. According to Draka Communications, BendBright-XS answers these rapidly emerging market demands with its patented design, yet does not have the technical complications, such as splicing and connectorization, of other bend-insensitive fibers recently introduced into the market.
 
"Since we first introduced BendBright-XS at the FTTH Conference in 2006, the demand for this industry-leading fiber has grown by leaps and bounds," reports Ryan Chappell, Draka's North American Fiber Business manager.

"In 2008, the volumes of BendBright-XS have become so significant that it only makes sense to have local production of the product to best serve the North American market," adds Steve Linden, director of operations, North America.
 
BendBright-XS, launched in 2006, uses a "trench-assisted" index profile to achieve what the company claims is the highest level of bend performance on the market, meeting the most stringent industry standard for bend-insensitive fiber, ITU-T G.657.B. With approximately 100X micro bending and 100X macro bending performance improvement over standard singlemode fiber, BendBright-XS is ideal for access networks where cables and fibers are subjected to tight bends and the rigors of harsh installation techniques such as the stapling of cables.
 
Draka says the BendBright-XS is the only commercially available all-glass fiber on the market that meets and exceeds the stringent ITU-T G.657.B bending requirements, yet maintains full backwards compatibility with existing singlemode fibers, meeting ITU-T G.652.D.
 

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