OCTOBER 1, 2007 -- Sumitomo Electric Lightwave (search for Sumitomo Electric Lightwave) today announced the addition of a new armored drop cable to its expanding FTTx fiber-optic cable product line. The PureFit Armored Drop Cable's design maximizes duct space, facilitates easy handling, provides added armoring protection, and reduces cable prep and installation time for buried cable applications, claim Sumitomo representatives.
The new cable is available with Sumitomo's PureAccess Bend-Insensitive fiber, which offers providers increased flexibility in broadband, fiber-to-the premises (FTTP), and fiber-to-the home (search for FTTH) deployments.
According to the company, the integration of bend-insensitive optical fibers in the design of the PureFit Armored Drop Cable provides the increased flexibility required for greater fiber density and low bending loss in FTTx terminals and closures, component and tight-access wiring for network interface devices at the premises, and other applications leading directly to the final drop to the premises, multiple dwelling unit (MDU), or home. Under tight bending conditions, the PureAccess fiber will not suffer the stress and signal degradation as would conventional fiber, ensuring the highest quality of service and reliability, contends the company. The increased utility of the drop cables is due to the combination of the low bending loss of the fiber and the easy entry cable design. The new armored drop cables feature fibers with minimum bend radiuses of 15 mm, a 50% decrease in bend sensitivity of conventional singlemode fiber, which allows for even greater fiber density with low bending loss for component and tight-access wiring necessary in FTTx applications, claim Sumitomo representatives.
"Our goal is to provide our customers with an expanding product portfolio of cost effective and robust solutions that ensure the highest reliability in the FTTx network," explains Tony Squires, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave's cable product manager.
The design of Sumitomo's PureFit Armored Drop Cable produces a rugged loose-tube cable characterized by a single non-sticky gel filled tube. The core tube, which contains up to 12 fibers, is helically wrapped with water-blocking strength members, allowing for clean, fast, and easy cable preparation, installation, and clean up, says the company. The corrugated steel armor of the cable is encased with a black polyethylene jacket, providing compressive strength and rodent protection and easy cable identification.
The new RUS-approved armored drop cables will be available fourth quarter 2007.
Visit Sumitomo Electric Lightwave