Australia's TPG deploys 2,112 fibers via Prysmian's Flextube fiber-optic cable

Prysmian says that Australian service provider TPG Telecom has used the company's FlexTube fiber-optic cable to set a record for fiber density. TPG has deployed a fiber cable with 2,112 fibers.

Prysmian announced that it has begun manufacturing FlexTube fiber-optic cables in its Sydney facility only last week.

"It is not only the highest fiber count cable ever manufactured by Prysmian but it also exhibits the world's highest fiber density," asserted Jack Clements, technical sales manager at Prysmian Australia. "The 2,112 fibers are contained within a single sheath 24 mm in diameter, making it the highest density optical cable solution in the world, with a record-breaking 4.7 fibers/mm².

"The cable was designed to be slim enough to fit inside a 32-mm subduct (with an internal diameter of just 28 mm), fully maximizing the available space," Clements added.

TPG installed the FlexTube fiber cable across a 1.8 km run in Melbourne CBD using a subduct with an internal diameter of 28 mm. Technicians spliced the fiber-optic cable at both ends using high-capacity joint enclosures, also from Prysmian. The joints can store up to 2,688 fiber splices and are modular in design, Prysmian said.

"Being able to install over 2,000 fibers in one go brings us major advantages in terms of installation costs per fiber and utilization of our infrastructure. It also helps us secure capacity in high demand areas, helping us to future proof our fiber network," said Liz Goyeneche, network design and planning manager at TPG Telecom.

"We installed Prysmian's 1,728-fiber cable last year and this year we're up to 2,112 fibers in a single cable. The technology continues to develop and at TPG we're keen to utilize the latest cutting-edge products to respond to the evolving needs of our customers," added Reggie Naik, TPG's general manager – fiber operations.

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