By STEPHEN HARDY, Lightwave -- Prysmian Group has announced its 288-fiber ezMICRODUCT cable. Thanks to the use of 200-micron fiber, the cable has an outer diameter of only 8 mm, the company says.
In addition to small size, the 288-fiber ezMICRODUCT also offers ease of installation because it works with existing fiber infrastructure, Prysmian asserts.
The cable's design includes 24 fibers per tube, making the fibers easier to identify and fit into standard splicing trays, according to the company. The fiber cable will operate in the -40°F to 158°F temperature range.
“Our latest generation of microduct products continues to push the boundaries of fiber density,” says Jim Ryan, technical market manager for OSP cables at Prysmian. “This density is achieved by using 200-micron, bend-insensitive fiber, while only using 24 fibers per tube. Some competitor designs are accomplishing this density by adding more fibers in each tube, complicating fiber identification and splicing. Our design was developed with the installer in mind while maximizing density.”
Prysmian already offers a 432-fiber microduct cable optimized for 14-mm duct; this cable's similar 200-micron bend-insensitive fiber design features an upgrade path to 528 fibers.
“Our 200-micron fiber uses the same glass as a standard sized (250-micron), bend-insensitive fiber,” adds Jon Fitz, director of advanced business solutions at the company. “This allows the 200-micron fiber to be individually fusion spliced directly to legacy 250-micron fibers or mass-fusion spliced with a pitch adapter, making installing with existing infrastructure easy.”
The ezMICRODUCT line leverages a loose tube design for jetted microduct installations. It pairs with the company’s FlexRibbon technology, which aims to maximize fiber density and duct use by enabling small cable sizes.
STEPHEN HARDY is Editorial Director and Associate Publisher of CI&M's sister brand, Lightwave.