Prysmian intros RetractaNetxs retractable FTTH cable

Prysmian Group has introduced RetractaNetxs, a direct buried retractable fiber-optic cable. The new fiber cable is particularly well suited to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments, Prysmian says.

RetractaNetxs features the company’s RetractaCable, which is filled with small fiber modules. These modules are designed to be cut at one point in the network and retracted to another, where they can be fed or blown through microducts directly to the customer premises. Thus, the system offers a retractable cable from the Optical Distribution Point splice closure to the customer premises.

With RetractaNetxs, ducts can be installed at a depth of 30 cm instead of the normal 60 or 120 cm. This makes it possible to lay 600 m of fiber a day, limit public inconvenience, and significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the company asserts.

Prysmian says that several pilot projects using the new cabling technology are already underway with such service providers as Reggefiber, VolkerWessels Telecom, Jelcer Networks, Deutsche Glasfaser, and BAM. They include the deployment of a fiber-optic network in Noorderveld, Netherlands; a sewer-based fiber-optic broadband network in Lonneker, Netherlands; and a network deployed in the Bocholt Bario district, which Prysmian says is now being called “the fastest village in North Rhine-Westphalia.”

“This solution makes rollouts faster, reduces pollution and cuts labor costs. It provides quick connections at a low total cost of ownership, through significant savings on labor and materials. Compared to traditional point-to-point network solutions, RetractaNetxs can reduce the overall cost of OSP network deployment by 7%-9%,” explains Edgar Aker, director Telecom Benelux, Prysmian Group. “RetractaNetxs is a prime example of our ‘Value Innovation’ concept, which essentially means we are rethinking technologies, in order to come up with instantly applicable solutions for real challenges that our clients face.”

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