Sumitomo Electric Lightwave bend-insensitive ribbon drop cable
SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 -- Sumitomo Electric Lightwave (search for Sumitomo Electric Lightwave) today introduced its ITU-657A-compliant, fire-retardant PureFit Ribbon Drop Cable for the last drop to the premises or home. Prompted by the growing trend and preference for ribbon products in FTTx network and MDU applications, Sumitomo says it designed the cable to allow for mass fusion splicing, quicker and easier gel-free cable entry, and faster fiber access through easy-peel ribbon technology, which eliminates the needs for special tools and increases the speed and number of both fusion splicing and connectorized terminations.
The gel-free ribbon drop cable is available with 12-fiber PureAccess bend-insensitive singlemode fiber that complies with ITU-657A standards. The incorporation of bend-insensitive fiber improves flexibility, with bend-radiuses of half that of standard singlemode ribbon, thereby enabling tighter routing and minimizing the space within terminals, hubs, ONTs, and MDU applications, say Sumitomo representatives. The use of ribbon in terminals improves reliability, handling, and storage by eliminating buffer tube issues, such as kinking, stranding buffer tube memory, and shrinkage.
As the final link to the end-user, the ribbon drop cable is compatible with standard multi-fiber connectors (MFCs) for plug-and-play terminal deployments, MDU applications, terminal tether, and may be used for both aerial and buried FTTx applications.
Especially suited for MDU applications, the new ribbon drop cable is manufactured with flame-retardant material and has been tested for P-clamp compatibility, which makes it versatile for both aerial and buried applications, Sumitomo confirms. The versatile attributes of the new ribbon drop cable also allow the installer to use the cable outdoors and within buildings without changing cable types, thereby generating cost savings. The new ribbon drop cable is available in a convenient reel-in-the-box packaging, facilitating ease of handling and on-site ease of cable measurement and management.
According to Sumitomo, mass fusion splicing and connectorized terminations are made easier with its Easy Split & Peel technology, a differentiating feature of the ribbon drop cable. This technology eliminates the need for and cost of special tools, further increasing productivity and time savings. The dry ribbon cable design allows the installer or technician to bypass the cable cleaning procedure and to quickly and easily peel back the ribbon, by hand, to expose the underlying fiber in preparation for connectorization or splicing. Sumitomo's exclusive ribbon technology ensures the fiber coating is protected, thereby guarding against fiber damage, mechanical abrasions, and shearing of fibers during splitting, claims the company.
"Sumitomo's expertise and leadership in ribbon fiber control processes and manufacturing has led us to the development of an outstanding ribbon drop cable that will help our customers deploy their FTTH/FTTP network and MDU applications more efficiently and cost effectively, " asserts Tony Squires, Sumitomo's cable product manager.
With the new ribbon drop cable, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave will also showcase its new Lynx CustomFit Splice-on connector, its range of ribbon and loose-tube cables, and what it claims is the industry's only dual-heater single and mass fusion splicers.