December 15, 2011 – Prysmian Group, world leader in the energy and telecom cables and systems industry, today announces that the combined portfolio from the recent integration of Prysmian and Draka FTTH solutions opens up new opportunities for fast, cost-effective deployment of high speed fibre networks in rural communities. Prysmian Group XSNet, the new, expanded suite of products and engineering services, provides rural customers with a wide choice for building end-to-end passive FTTx infrastructure that is fine-tuned to local conditions, while helping build a business case to apply for BDUK Broadband Development funds.
The new Prysmian Group portfolio combines an extensive range of best-in-class fibre optic and matched connectivity components, ducting solutions, indoor and outside plant options and engineering services and a broad range of cable choice. In addition there is the unique benefit of Prysmian Group’s XSNet proprietary network design software which can map, configure, optimise and cost a network concept in seconds, ensuring a strong focus on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
“Today, the Prysmian Group reinforces its position as a major UK player in FTTH products, systems, software and services,” said Adam Ashenden, Connectivity and Fibre Systems Manager, Prysmian Group, Telecom Solutions. “Our strong UK manufacturing presence means we can readily supply our products nationwide, through an excellent logistics distribution network. We provide one-stop shopping for easy-to-integrate, standardised solutions, the broadest choice of cable, connectivity and deployment technologies as well as expert engineering and consulting services to help build a winning business case for rural projects.”
For many years a prime supplier to BT, Prysmian’s BT Openreach-approved products offer local communities, parishes and county councils the opportunity to build a custom aerial network based upon BT poles with approved components. This follows BT’s recent decision to reduce the price of pole access to offer ‘certainty and low prices’ to other companies. The integration of the Draka portfolio and especially its network design software now adds the best of both brands to open up a new world of implementation possibilities for successful fibre network coverage within rural environments.
Prysmian Group XSNet Engineering & Design software
Studies show that network optimisation – using optimising software and algorithms - can decrease the cost of building a rural FTTH network by an average of 20%. Material and labour requirements can be reduced by identifying the best site to place a local exchange or network splitters, for example, and optimise the number of times a cable needs to cross a road.
Using in-house developed software Prysmian Group can help to engineer and design FTTx networks using the latest products and connectivity innovations minimising risk and significantly lowering the total cost of operations (TCO). As a part of the combined offer, Prysmian Group XSNet Engineering & Design team can help create the most cost effective and efficient network by using automating, sequencing and simplifying components and processes. By applying intelligent mathematical algorithms the ‘guesswork’ for material requirements is removed, eliminating the need to redo preliminary drawings or cost calculations and create multiple scenarios for the business case.
Draka developed network design and engineering capability was instrumental in the successful FTTH showcase of CityNet in Amsterdam, currently with 40,000 connections. The same automation benefits also apply to smaller broadband communities, streamlining the deployment of a 6,000 connection FTTH network for a small town close to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, for example. Additionally, a consulting agreement with the city of Biberach in Germany is helping to extend and maintain its fibre network as it grows. And an agreement with atesio, a Berlin-based research institute deploying powerful computing tools, adds the capability to visualise FTTH networks of thousands of dwellings in Google Earth.
Photo: The recent integration of Prysmian and Draka FTTH solutions opens up new opportunities for fast, cost-effective deployment of high speed fibre networks in rural communities. Prysmian Group XSNet, the new, expanded suite of products and engineering services, provides rural customers with a broad choice for building end-to-end passive FTTx infrastructure that is fine-tuned to local conditions.
Prysmian Group
Prysmian Group is world leader in the energy and telecom cables and systems industry. With sales of some €7 billion (pro-forma 2010 Prysmian/Draka) and 22,000 employees across 50 countries and 98 plants, the Group is strongly positioned in high-tech markets and provides the widest range of products, services, technologies and know-how. In the Energy sector, Prysmian Group operates in the business of underground and submarine power transmission cables and systems, special cables for applications in many different industrial sectors and medium and low voltage cables for the construction and infrastructure industry. In the Telecom sector, the Group manufactures cables and accessories for the voice, video and data transmission industry, producing optical fibres, optical cables and connectivity. Prysmian is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange in the Blue Chip index.
Information: www.draka.com/communications and www.prysmiangroup.com
UK Press enquiries:
Adam Ashenden Tel: 02380 608760 or adam.ashenden@prysmiangroup.com
Robin Kinnear Tel: 020 7287 8456 or rkinnear@strattonandreekie.com
Reader enquiries:
Prysmian Cables&Systems Limited, Marketing Department
023 8029 5029 Chickenhall Lane, Eastleigh, Hants, SO50 6YU Email:cables.marketing.uk@prysmian.com