OFS Launches Gel-Free ADSS Cable at 2010 FTTH Conference

First-to-Market Cable Enables Faster Deployment and Helps Lower Installation Costs

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Sep 13, 2010, 06:00 ET

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 13, /PRNewswire/ -- FTTH Conference, Booth 220 -- OFS, designer and manufacturer of leading edge fiber optic network products today announced the launch of its totally gel-free PowerGuide® ShortSpan DT All-Dielectric Self-Supporting (ADSS) cable to be showcased at the FTTH Conference held September 13 – 15 in Las Vegas.

OFS' PowerGuide ShortSpan DT cable enables faster deployment and helps lower installation costs through reduced cable preparation time, increased span length capability and flexible buffer tubes for ease of routing and management within closures as compared to similar gel-filled product. The 100% gel-free construction allows for light duty attachment hardware costing on average 40 percent less per pole than comparable gel-filled cables on a typical 250 foot span due to lower loaded tension. Additionally, compared to similar gel-filled cables, up to 60% less labor per dead-end location can be realized by utilizing hardware not requiring reinforcing rods.

"Totally dry cables have been field-proven in both aerial and underground installations for nearly a decade, so this is a natural extension to an existing technology," said Timothy Pillow, Senior Vice President Global Marketing & Sales for OFS. "The introduction of a totally gel-free ADSS cable is a significant milestone in the industry with OFS leading the way to help our customers continue to speed FTTH deployments and improve deployment economics. The PowerGuide ShortSpan DT cable enables our customers to extend their service reach and to cost-effectively serve remote rural locations."

Totally Gel-Free PowerGuide ShortSpan DT ADSS cable product offers the following benefits compared to similar gel-filled cables:

Qualified – This light duty, all-dry cable meets the IEEE 1222™ Standard for ADSS cable, which addresses the needs of those using all-dielectric, self-supporting fiber optic cable on overhead or in underground facilities. Benefits are provided with no reduction to either installation ruggedness or long-term reliability.
Reduced cable preparation time for optical fiber splicing and terminations - Field technicians can experience up to 80% time reduction for cable end preparation.
Reduced cable weight - Enhances cable handling, helps reduce deployment costs and increase installation productivity for both underground and aerial applications for optical fiber cables.
Reduced emergency restoration time.
Safer and cleaner work environment - Gels get into tools and make them more difficult to handle and use.
Consumable cleaning materials are minimized - Helps save money on materials and reduces possible workplace irritants.
Better productivity - Higher first pass yield on splicing operations due to better cleanliness.
Environmentally friendly – Helps generates less waste and no need for special cleaning solvents.

The PowerGuide ShortSpan DT cable is a single jacket ADSS optimized for distribution applications and is the newest member of OFS' PowerGuide ADSS cable family. This product line includes PowerGuide double jacket ADSS cable, one of the world's leading ADSS cables for demanding, high-performance aerial applications, including power transmission and distribution networks. Please contact OFS for specific span, loading and placement recommendations for any PowerGuide ADSS application.

About OFS

OFS is a world-leading designer, manufacturer and provider of optical fiber, optical fiber cable, FTTX, optical connectivity and specialty photonics products. Our manufacturing and research divisions work together to provide innovative products and solutions that traverse many different applications as they link people and machines worldwide. Between continents, between cities, around neighborhoods, and into homes and businesses of digital consumers we provide the right optical fiber, optical cable and components for efficient, cost-effective transmission.

OFS' corporate lineage dates back to 1876 and includes technology powerhouses such as AT&T and Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel-Lucent). Today, OFS is owned by Furukawa Electric, a multi-billion dollar global leader in optical communications.

Headquartered in Norcross (near Atlanta) Georgia, U.S., OFS is a global provider with facilities in Avon, Connecticut; Carrollton, Georgia; Somerset, New Jersey; and Sturbridge, Massachusetts, as well as in Denmark, Germany and Russia.

For more information, please visit www.ofsoptics.com.