Prysmian Group, leveraging the assets it acquired from Draka, has unveiled the LT20 BBXS, a loose tube outside plant fiber cable that leverages BendBrightXS bend-insensitive fiber to offer up to a 19% reduction in diameter and up to 30% reduction in weight compared with more conventional approaches, Prsymian asserts.
The LT20 BBXS, which pairs the bend-insensitive fiber with an extremely flexible buffer tube, offers several cost, performance, and ease of installation advantages, Prysmian asserts. They include:
- Using smaller, lighter reels during installation
- Reducing duct size and achieving longer blowing distances
- Installing additional cable in a duct that was previously considered full
- Reducing loads on poles and strand wire
- Allowing the use of smaller hand-holes, closures, and pedestals
In addition, a greater amount of cable can be spooled onto a conventional reel, improving installation efficiency and making it easier to transport and store large amounts of cable.
The LT20 BBXS product line meets or exceeds such industry standards as GR20, RUS/RDUP PE90, ITU G.652.D, and ITU G.657.A2. It also is backwards compatible with existing singlemode fibers and loose tube cables.
"From an environmental and aesthetic standpoint, this product will drive the use of smaller outside plant accessories such as splice cases, pedestals, hand holes, and cabinets," states Greg Williams, director of marketing at the Prysmian Group.
"The LT20 BBXS design family brings the benefits of bend-insensitive fiber to the outside plant," said Jon Fitz, business solutions manager. "The cable, buffer tube, and fiber can all be installed and stored with significantly smaller bend radii. Full reels are easier to handle, and common operations, like figure-eight and coil storage, are easier to perform."