Draka Ready-Connect Duplex remote access solution now reduces installation time to one final operator visit for customer convenience
Amsterdam, July 1, 2010 – Draka Communications, a global leader in the cabling and optical fiber industry, today announces a significant advance in FTTH installation with an enhanced air-jet solution that can double the throughput of fiber delivery. Draka
Ready-Connect Duplex now accommodates two pre-ferruled bend insensitive (BendBrightXS) fibers, blown through micro-ducts to the customer outlet box with a higher level of speed and efficiency. This new solution considerably reduces the expense of multiple technician visits to customer homes.
"With precision engineering and miniaturized mechanical components we further refine a key process in getting fiber into the home without inconveniencing the customer", explains Donald Brass, Product Manager EMEA Draka Telecom Solutions. "This improvement has a substantial impact on project budgets, for small or large scale FTTH installations. Ready-Connect Duplex is a further proof of how our constant focus on cost reduction and performance improvement contributes to better TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), lowering Capex and Opex for fiber-rich network projects".
Ready-Connect involves blowing pre-ferruled cables (cables with pre-fabricated semi-finished connectors) through micro-ducts directly to a termination or distribution point inside a home. Installation is completed by simply snapping the connector-housing around the ferrule. These precision-assembled ferrules reduce the risks of manually completing the connection on site. The solution uses jets of compressed air injected from a central point as far as a kilometer away to service up to 50 homes in a single session. Draka estimates that implementation time and labour costs at this final stage can be reduced by as much as 50 per cent with additional savings incurred from reduced cable splicing and storage space.
About Draka Ready-Connect
Draka's Ready-Connect Duplex solution uses two bend insensitive fiber cables with pre-mounted 2.6 diameter ferrules blown through 4 mm inner diameter micro-ducts. Draka's micro-duct solutions are based upon a simple jetting technology processes proven in the industry for several years as a reliable solution in large scale FTTH installations, often involving over 200,000 homes. Ready-Connect cables depend essentially on micro-engineering precision to manufacture large quantities of pre-mounted ferrules to ensure smooth, successful passage of the cable through the ducts. As these ferrules are manufactured in a controlled environment and thoroughly tested before reaching the field, quality and signal loss are not a problem. Through the use of ventilated end caps there is no need for a technician inside the customer premises. The fiber stops automatically once it reaches the home termination point. Once in the consumer's home, the final connector is easily snapped on with a single operator visit to complete the termination.
Replacing labour-intensive methods of pulling cables through ducts, the technique of using compressed-air is proving a highly cost-effective and more reliable way of pushing fiber optics through multi-ducts, especially where long, uninterrupted lengths of cable are required. Blowing technology also adds the flexibility of easily extending active layer services from multiple operators at a later stage where additional fibers are required. Draka is currenly using its microduct system JetNetXS and jetting technology in the deployment of a large scale fiber project for the Energy City Qatar ( ECQ) in the Middle East.
Draka
Draka (Euronext Amsterdam: DRAK), headquartered in Amsterdam, has 9600 employees in countries worldwide and 2009 revenues of over € 2 billion. Draka has a presence in 31 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia.
Draka's activities are divided into three groups: Energy & Infrastructure, Industry & Speciality and Communications. Draka Communications with its four business units, Telecom Solutions, Multimedia Specials, Optical Fiber and Cable Solutions is a global market leader in the development, production and sales of fibers, cables and advanced network solutions. More information at www.draka.com/communications
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Photo: Two fiber cables with the same breath of air as one
(Photo: Draka Communications)
With Ready-Connect Duplex you can now double the capacity of home delivery without disturbing the customer. There are four easy steps to get this two fiber cables into the home:
1.Blow pre-ferruled cables (with cap) into a micro-duct.
2. Once the ferrules arrive in the customer premises, remove the blue cap.
3. Snap on a 2 piece housing to create a standard LC connector.
4. Plug the connector into the termination point or gateway.
More Information
Thea Dullemans
Tel +31 20 568 98 55 or thea.dullemans@draka.com
Draka Communications
Donald Brass,
Tel: + 31 20 568 9411 or donald.brass@draka.com
Draka Communications