Prysmian intros BendBrightXS 180µm bend-insensitive single-mode fiber

Dec. 16, 2019

As the name implies, the bend-insensitive fiber features a diameter of 180 µm, slightly narrower than the wave of 200-µm fibers that have reached the market over the past several years.

Stephen Hardy

Prysmian Group has opened a new category of optical fiber with the launch of its BendBright^XS 180µm (BBXS-180µm) fiber. As the name implies, the bend-insensitive single-mode fiber features a diameter of 180 µm, slightly narrower than the wave of 200-µm fibers that have reached the market over the past several years.

The narrower fiber will enable higher-count cables, Prysmian points out. The company has yet to announce the fiber counts it intends to offer using BBXS-180µm. However, high-fiber-count cables that leverage bend-insensitive fiber can make installing a large number of fiber strands faster and more cost-effective versus more traditional fiber cables.

Operators have begun to embrace the recent generation of high-fiber-count cables based on 200-µm fibers, including Prysmian’s BendBright^XS200µm (see "Prysmian ships 1,728-fiber cable for Australian data center"). Such fibers offered a significant reduction in diameter versus conventional 250-µm fibers; the 180-µm width offers nearly a 50% smaller size than those conventional fibers. Prysmian adds that BBXS-180µm is fully compliant with G.652 and G.657.A2 global standards and can be spliced with legacy standard single-mode fibers.

“Leveraging its proprietary BendBright^XS technology, Prysmian is reaching a new milestone in fiber miniaturization,” asserted Philippe Vanhille, executive vice president Telecom Business at Prysmian Group. “BBXS-180µm will enable cable designers to offer strongly reduced cable dimensions and yield industry-record cable density.”

For related articles, visit the Optical Technologies Topic Center.

For more information on optical fiber and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.

To stay abreast of optical fiber advancements, subscribe to Lightwave’s Enabling Technologies Newsletter.

About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.