EoW March 2009

english technology news

Time and cost savings for FTTH delivery

Bridge cables WireCo WorldGroup has been awarded the contract for wire rope suspenders and cables for the new San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge. The distinctive structure, with a 525 foot single tower, will be the world’s longest single span, self-anchored suspension bridge. The wire rope suspender and cables that WireCo will engineer for this project include 75mm and 90mm wire rope suspension hangers, which connect the floating bridge box girders and the tower. As a result, it will be the first suspension bridge engineered to require no connection between the tower and the deck. In addition, the company will supply the hand rope assemblies that allow access to the 2.56 foot diameter main cable. The new structure will carry daily traffic in excess of 280,000 vehicles, more than 102 million vehicles every year. The bridge will connect the 1.2 mile elevated skyway viaduct from Oakland to Treasure Island. WireCoWorldGroup – USA Website : www.wirecoworldgroup.com

Draka’s technique uses fibre cables with pre-mounted ferrules of 1.25mm diameter blown through 4mm micro- ducts. Although a simple jetting technology process has been used for several years, Draka’s novel approach is reliant on micro-engineering precision for large quantities of pre-mounted ferrules to ensure a smooth, successful passage of the cable through the ducts. The fibre stops automatically on reaching the home termination point; once the fibre is inside the consumer’s home, the final connector is easily snapped on. Willem Giffioen, product manager at Draka, commented: “Our jetting technology has a significant impact on project budgets, especially for large scale FTTH contracts." Draka Holdings NV – The Netherlands Fax : +31 2056 89899 Email : info@draka.com Website : www.draka.com

Draka Communications has attained a 99% success rate for its automated air jet fibre delivery method for the final stage of FTTH installations. The plug and play solution involves air blasting pre-ferruled cables (cables with pre-fabricated semi- finished connectors) through microducts using jets of air from a central point up to a kilometre away. Up to fifty homes can be completed in a session. Draka has developed this approach with Diamond, a Swiss-based precision- manufacturing fibre optics specialist that fabricates the connector base that slips over the cable end before air jetting. tested extensively in pilot projects in Delfzijl, the Netherlands, and Aneby, Sweden, where Draka has regularly achieved time and labour cost savings of up to 90%. Additional savings are incurred from reduced cable splicing, storage space and fewer home visits. The technique has been

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EuroWire – March 2009