Fiber in Core Ejected Coax is a patented method of easily removing the dielectric and center conductor of a hard-line coax cable and replacing it with fiber. The remaining aluminum shield is used as a conduit or duct for installing fiber-optic cable. The approach enables operators to upgrade from a coax infrastructure to a fiber-optic infrastructure without digging, trenching, boring, or missleing. It thereby reduces the amount of time and cost to deploy fiber, including property restoration. The cost for the approach is in the $3 to $4 per foot range, compared to conventional methods at anywhere from $8 to $150 per foot. The total cost per foot varies based on region, soil, and presence of concrete or asphalt.

Fiber in Core Ejected Coax enables an operator to recycle one of its most important assets, coaxial cable, and the investment related to the overall construction of that legacy network. The approach also enables the recycling of the polyethylene and center conductor core.Judge's comment: "It embodies the word 'innovation' in that it is a solution that retains the existing coaxial infrastructure as an asset while providing the benefits of fiber-to-the-x."