Prysmian positions Ecoslim reduced-diameter telecom fiber system for sustainability
Global energy and telecom cable systems specialist Prysmian Group recently announced the global launch of its Ecoslim sustainable telecommunication system, employing the manufacturer's Sirocco HD and Sirocco Extreme (XT) optical cables, which are available with up to 864 optical fibers. Prysmian showcased the new system at the recent ANGA COM conference (May 23 - 25) in Cologne, Germany.
As noted in a company press release, limited space for installation and its upscaling volumes and need for higher performance with less impact on environment are a few of today’s FTTx construction challenges. Therefore, Prysmian says it is focusing on development of solutions which are more efficient while also involving lower environmental impact.
The company notes its Sirocco HD cables are made with 50% less plastics and are up to 25% smaller in diameter than traditional products, in line with its corporate committment to increase the amount of recycled material in its products.
Further, the Ecoslim system uses the company's new generation of Easenet microducts, which it states are made of up to 90% reclaimed and recycled HDPE, resulting in up to 50% less usage of virgin plastics, as compared to the conventional duct solutions.
The Ecoslim system also represents an efficiency improvement in trench and cable installation. The reduced diameters of the Ecoslim system allow for micro trenching, alleviating the wide trenches usually required for a high volume of ducts. The company notes this capability is beneficial especially in overcrowded areas, resulting in less civil works and reduction of spoil by 50%.
Further, as reported by Prysmian Group:
"In specific cases that have already been deployed in the Netherlands, 14/10 mm ducts have been replaced with smaller diameter 10/7 mm ducts for the installation of Sirocco HD and Sirocco Extreme cables with up to 192 optical fibres, enabling longer lengths of both cable and ducts to be stored on a drum, resulting in up to 60% drum quantity reduction, therefore also reducing number of truckloads and warehouse space by 60%."
The company contends that the above listed improvements, when compared with traditional diameter micro ducts of 14/10 mm using larger fiber cables, makes the Ecoslim system "an undisputable champion in reduction of the CO2 emissions."
By way of rationale, the manufacturer said its Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is available for an independent comparison with conventional networks, proving up to 50% CO2 reduction along the value chain, and making Ecoslim one of the first optical network components with an EPD.
Philippe Vanhille, EVP of the Telecom Division at Prysmian Group, remarked:
“Network owners move towards shifting the task for greener networks to suppliers and installers, and Prysmian Group is ready to answer this challenge with Ecoslim. The solution shows stronger performance and efficiency, and with record fiber density of Sirocco HD or Sirocco Extreme cables allows network owners and providers to transmit even more data through the available duct infrastructure.”
At the European FTTH Conference 2023 in April, Prysmian Group unveiled its ECO Cable label, as a visible indicator that its fiber cables conform to parameters for environmentally green products.
The following video presents a roundtable discussion from Prysmian Group's Sustainability Week 2022 event.
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