My TN Connection

As modern optical networks continue to evolve and push their way into the last mile of Fiber to the Home (FTTx) applications, new and interesting products are being developed to address the needs of FTTx deployments. One development that has stormed onto the scene and made it’s presence known across the industry is Bend-Insensitive Fiber. Bend-insensitive fiber is a specific classification of single-mode that is able to be bent beyond the bend radius limits of traditional fiber optic cabling, without an additional increase in attenuation. Although most manufacturers are being fairly secretive about their specific processes, the concept is that the cladding that surrounds the fiber’s core is being manufactured with a number of holes that run parallel to the fiber’s axis. When the fiber is bent, these tiny holes serve to relieve stress on the cladding and buffer any effect on the core of the fiber optic strand, where the signal is being carried.

One space that bend-insensitive fiber is truly differentiating itself is in multi-dwelling units (MDU’s). Historically, trying to deliver fiber to multiple living units over multiple floors has posed significant challenges and complexities to installers. Even though fiber has the ability to provide far greater bandwidth, copper has been used because of it’s ease of installation and lower deployment cost. But by employing bend-insensitive fiber, installers are now able to pull fiber around tight corners to high density, small form factor enclosures that wouldn’t be an option with legacy fiber solutions. Furthermore, common time saving copper installation practices - like stapling cable to beams and studs, are also an option with bend-insensitive fiber. However, it should be noted that using bend-insensitive fiber does not mean proper installation methods can be thrown out the window. It is still recommended to follow proper cable management practices (like slack storage and cable routing paths) to assure a reliable, long term installation.

Many companies have a bend-insensitive fiber offering, including: OFS, Draka Comteq, Sumitomo, Emtelle, ADC, and others. But Corning Cable Systems seems to be carrying the most momentum with their ClearCurve bendable fiber offering. Recent news of Verizon Communications, the United States’ leading fiber-optic broadband provider, placing an order for Corning’s ClearCurve product was all over the TV and Internet the last couple of weeks. It will be interesting to keep an eye on not only the deployment of bendable fiber in FTTx applications, but also the expanded product development that will follow this initial push. Stay tuned for further developments…

For more info, check out ‘Bending Over Backwards’ featured on www.ospmag.com.

Download the article’s featured PDF: ‘Bending Over Backwords’.

Keywords: Bend-Insensitive Fiber, bendable fiber, Cable Management, cable routing, cabling, connection, Copper, Fiber, FTTx, ITS, Legacy, MDUs, MM, MyTnConnection, Networks, Products, SM, Systems

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.