September 19, 2008 -- Draka Communications says it has surpassed the 250,000-km (150,000 miles) mark for sales of BendBrightXS, its bend-insensitive optical fiber, since its introduction in 2006.
The demand for BendBrightXS has been driven mainly by large-scale deployments of FTTH access networks both in the US and Europe by the major telecommunications providers in those regions, the company says. With these access networks extending all the way to single family homes and more recently multi-dwelling units (MDUs), the need has surfaced for a robust, easy to install optical fiber that can endure the rigors of traditional copper cable installations. Draka says that BendBrightXS answers these rapidly emerging market demands.
"We're delighted by the recognition that our world-class fiber is receiving since we introduced BendBrightXS in 2006," comments Jan-Willem Leclercq, vice president of marketing, Draka Communications. "BendBrightXS is reshaping the deployment processes of the broadband industry for next generation network access, while stimulating miniaturization trends in connectivity hardware."
BendBrightXS is billed as using a "trench-assisted" index profile that meets the most stringent industry standard for bend-insensitive fiber, ITU-T G.657.B. With approximately 100x microbending and 100x macro bending performance improvement over standard singlemode fiber, BendBrightXS is designed for access networks where cables and fibers are subjected to tight bends and the rigors of harsh installation techniques such as the stapling of cables.
According to Draka, BendBrightXS is also unique because it is the first and only commercially available all-glass fiber on the market that meets and exceeds the stringent ITU-T G.657.B bending requirements, yet maintains full backwards compatibility with existing singlemode fibers, meeting ITU-T G.652.D.
On the Web:
www.draka.com
