Corning Cable Systems says its newly introduced SST-UltraRibbon gel-free cable is a high-fiber-count outdoor ribbon cable in which dry water-blocking materials have completely replaced previously used gels, in order to provide "a 100 percent gel-free" cable. The cable is available in fiber counts of 288, 360 and 432.
According to Corning, benefits of the cable's gel-free design - which incorporates a field-proven super-absorbent polymer technology - include reduced cable preparation time (more than one hour per end-to-end splice point in 432-fiber designs), quicker network deployment, removal of gel-cleaning solvents from the workplace, reduced mass-fusion splicer maintenance, and elimination of the need for cable damming procedures typically used for preventing gel from entering closures from cable ends.
The cable's patented design is fully compliant to the ICEA outside plant cable standard and Telcordia GR-20-CORE Issue 2 requirements. The company says the cable has also been subjected to a battery of additional testing "well beyond the requirements of industry standards" to ensure the gel-free design is fit for use in the extremes of the outside plant environment.
The cable can fit in 1.25-inch inner diameter or larger inner ducts. Dielectric and armored jacket options are available.