Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLFD), a specialist in fiber management for communication service providers, this month unveiled its FastPass technology approach, an in-cassette splicing method which the company contends "significantly reduces fiber distribution hub (FDH) cabinet costs, while cutting the install time required for homes passed by 50 percent -- "allowing for double the number of fiber homes passed in the same amount of time versus legacy install methods," according to a company statement.
Clearfield asserts that such time savings can benefit any community broadband operator required to meet strict deployment deadline requirements associated with federal and state broadband funding programs.
“As fiber broadband deployments rise with federal infrastructure funding, the ability to deploy fiber faster, and at a lower cost, is a clear competitive advantage for any operator,” notes Kevin Morgan, chief marketing officer at Clearfield. “Industry observers predict more homes will be passed with fiber in the next five years than has been deployed to date, and Clearfield is committed to helping our customers deploy fiber first as they enter new markets, start new builds, and look to close the digital divide for everyone.”
As explained by a Clearfield product statement, the FastPass technology approach is thus:
Splicing within the Clearview Cassette is unique: the splicing function is not performed on a separate splice tray but is contained on the cassette itself. The cassette can be easily removed from the cabinet and travel whatever distance is required to reach the splice trailer.
The splicing operation remains the same, it’s just performed on the cassette rather than on a separate tray. This eliminates the need for the cable stub, splice trays, the splice closure and the vault needed to store the splice closure and cable stub slack, saving more than $1,000 per FDH cabinet deployed.
“The need to reduce the time required for fiber homes passed is becoming mission critical for broadband providers across the country,” asserted Jeff Heynen, vice president, Broadband Access and Home Networking, at industry research firm Dell’Oro Group.
Heynen added, “Fiber deployments are a land grab right now and whoever gets to the consumer first wins. Clearfield’s FastPass approach challenges the status quo of FDH cabinet installation methods and provides a way for broadband operators to jump to the front of the line for their customers.”
Earlier this month for CI&M's co-brand in Endeavor Business Media, ISE (isemag.com), Clearfield hosted a webinar entitled, “It’s Just a Matter of Time: How to Maximize your FDH Deployment Savings Using Clearfield’s FastPass Approach,” which is now available for on-demand viewing.