Prysmian to supply optical fiber to Tratos Cavi for FTTH cables

Prysmian Group says it has won a multi-year contract from Italian cable manufacturer Tratos for the supply of the optical fiber maker's standard and specialty optical fiber. Tratos will use the fiber to manufacture fiber-optic cables for high-speed broadband applications, including fiber to the home (FTTH), in Italy and elsewhere.

Prysmian says it expects the volume of fiber Tratos will require should grow over the next several years, thanks in part to the Italian government's nationwide broadband growth plans. The fiber maker also points out that the European Commission's Digital Agenda 2025 states that by 2025 all schools, libraries, research centers and public administration offices should have gigabit broadband connections; all urban areas and European households should have uninterrupted 5G coverage; and rural and urban areas should have access to 100-Mbps internet connections that can be upgraded to gigabit speeds.

"This contract represents an important collaboration between the two major Italian firms producing passive telecommunications components," explained Carlo Scarlata, chief commercial officer at Prysmian Cavi e Sistemi Italia. "This is a way for Italy to show that it can act independently in building the infrastructure needed to achieve the European goals."

Prysmian says it will produce the fiber for Tratos at its Fibre Ottiche Sud plant in Battipaglia. The plant produces 9 million km of fiber annually out of the group-wide total of approximately 35 million km.

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