New fibre cable could make FTTC cheaper
New fibre cable could make FTTC cheaper
A new fibre optic cable that can bend round sharp corners has been developed by BT.
The ‘bend intensive fibre’ cables can make sharp bends without kinking, which could reduce the cost of installing fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) superfast broadband around the UK.
The new breakthrough has come as a result of research and development by BT Innovate & Design and the cable can be run anywhere that a regular copper cable can go. It is just 4.8mm in diameter and can be stapled to skirting boards in homes and businesses.
It is said to be particularly suitable for use in blocks of flats and in other locations where cable has to be pushed through twisty and tight cable routes.
The cable is being trialed in the Olympic Village, where BT has installed superfast broadband. It has also been through two pilots in Highams Park in North London and in apartment blocks in Milton Keynes.
Malcolm Campbell of BT Innovation & Design said the development of the cable took a long time: “For the past two years we've been working to establish the performance and applications of new types of optical fibre."
"It was slow progress to begin with, as the individual manufacturers kept updating their products and we had a lot of trouble understanding the variation between them,” he added.
He added that the difference between the new cable and traditional fibre optic cable is the chemical make-up of the glass, which is “more tightly confined within the optical fibre.”
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