Lightweight fibre maximises duct capacity: News from Fujikura Europe

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Fujikura Europe has released a new high density optical fibre cable: AirLight for micro duct installations. Specifically designed for micro-duct cabling within existing or new ducting systems it is ideally suitable for air blown technology applications using compressed and dry air. 'AirLight is a lightweight (approximately 30kg/km), compact high-density fibre optic cable (approximately 6mm diameter for a 72 fibre cable) and under trial testing it has been blown 2600m into a 10/8mm micro-duct in just 71 minutes', says Roy Higgins, General Manager at Fujikura Europe.

'This is the longest blowing distance achieved at the test track, we believe'.

As demand increases for products suitable for local information networks, CATV and FTTx applications, so too is the challenge of deploying fibre in constrained network environments.

To reduce the cost of access for FTTx network installations, the primary consideration is to efficiently use the existing duct infrastructure.

'Customers are looking for solutions to real world problems', adds Higgins.

'With our new AirLight cable we can maximise capacity and minimise expenditure.

Compared with a conventional cable (say one 288 fibre loose tube cable) a micro-duct installation has the capacity of 360 fibres (five 10/8 micro-duct with five 72 fibre AirLight cables) and far more flexibility'.

'Fujikura has developed a vast array of additional FTTx fibre optic products, many of which have become tried and trusted in the Japanese market where FTTH has already started in anger and which are now available for the just-starting European FTTx market', concludes Higgins.

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