WCA November 2008

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Draka Communications, Claremont, North Carolina m

BendBright-XS in North America

the most stringent industry standard for bend-insensitive fibre, ITU-T G.657.B. With approximately 100x micro bending and 100x macro bending performance improvement over standard single mode fibre, BendBright-XS is suitable for access networks where cables and fibres are subjected to tight bends and the rigours of harsh installation techniques such as the stapling of cables. BendBright-XS is the only commercially available all-glass fibre on the market that meets and exceeds the stringent ITU-T G.657.B bending requirements, yet maintains full backwards com- patibility with existing single mode fibres, meeting ITU-T G.652.D. Draka Holding – The Netherlands Fax : +31 20 56 89 899 Website : www.draka.com

patented design, but is said to avoid the possible technical complications, such as splicing and connectorisation, of other bend-insensitive fibres recently introduced into the market. “Since we first introduced BendBright-XS at the FTTH Conference in 2006, the demand for this fibre has grown in leaps and bounds,” says Ryan Chappell, Draka’s North American fibre business manager. “In 2008, the volumes of BendBright-XS have become so significant that it only makes sense to have local production of the product to best serve the North American market,” said Steve Linden, director of operations, North America. BendBright-XS, launched in 2006, uses a “trench-assisted” index profile to achieve the highest level of bend performance on the market, meeting

Draka Communications will commence production of BendBright-XS, its bend-insensitive optical fibre, at its flagship Claremont, North Carolina manufacturing facility. This follows the recent announcement by Draka, that BendBright-XS sales now exceed the 250,000 km mark, worldwide. The demand for BendBright-XS in North America has been driven mainly by large-scale deployments of FTTH access networks by the major telecommunications providers. With these access networks extending all the way to single family homes and more recently multi-dwelling units (MDUs), the need has surfaced for a robust, easy to install optical fibre that can endure the rigours of traditional copper cable installations. BendBright-XS answers these rapidly emerging market demands with its

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Wire & Cable ASIA – November/December 2008