Hi Glenn,
You made an interesting, and increasingly-familiar, comment:
>>The other problem as an analyst once said, "their products are too good." The reasoning on this is once it is in place, there is enough bandwidth for that fiber.<<
I'm not so sure I'd agree with that analyst entirely. Of course, when a strand is of inferior, or inappropriate, or outdated design, he may be right. But if we concern ourselves with the newer designs of glass manifesting today and in the recent past, I'd have to take some exceptions and note some qualifications.
This is to suggest that all available (and qualified) fiber strands along a route would at some point in time be filled to near capacity, or where any additional muxing would reach a point of diminishing retuerns, I take it.
But what will this near-maximum capacity be defined by? The multiplexing capabilities of the DWDM boxes? poor optical amplifier spacing intervals? or the windows of permissive wavelengths available in the glass?
Of course, at a point in time when the boxes max out, far more likely than the higher distance-bandwidth carrying glass in many cases (which, incidentally, will make up a growing percentage of all glass in the ground very soon among high-density routes, due to the recent actions of the Fiber Barons, as we now call them) the choices that carriers and large users will have to make is whether to pull additional fiber, or to replace/upgrade (more likely replace by that time) their DWDMs with those of higher lambda switching/multiplexing, and handling capability.
Another interesting set of developments that I've taken note of recently is the increase in the use of electronic (as opposed to four OC-48 WDMed) OC-192 systems among carriers, and more notably, the deployment of very large bundles of fibers along high-density rights of way.
It was not long ago that the normal (or the maximum) number of strands per < 1 in. cable sheath that would fit into a 1.25 in. inner duct (also called a subduct), was a gross, or 144 strands. Today I am seeing MFNX pulling 432 strands per inner duct, the last time I looked, usually filling three or four inner ducts per conduit, depending on the outside diameter of the tube.
As though that weren't enough glass (and in actuality it really isn't, given pent up demand, and the cost-benefits of pulling higher densities), the other day Pirelli announced their 864 strand design that would constitute fully six times the capacity of that which was previously put in place, and it is much more DWDM-conducive glass . See the attached press release below.
In addition to filling pent up demand of the traditional types of transmission, there is the added factor of easier cost of entry now for carriers to deploy IP and now ATM over fiber/lambda overlays. The lower cost of entry is due to the elimination of SONET transmission elements, thus lowering the complexity and financial burdens associated with such architectures, considerably. Don't get me wrong.. there are still kinks to work out here, but the direction is clear.
These are just some offsetting factors, pro and con, to keep in mind. Would someone care to do a contrasting pair of qualitative and volumetric analyses of these recent developments? Perhaps showing the leap-frogging effects of brute force physical layer one cable strand deployments, higher electronic SONET rates, and the incorporation of newer techs over lambda?
Best Regards, Frank Coluccio
(The Pirelli PR follows)
-------------------------
Pirelli Continues to Set Pace for Industry With Introduction
of 864-Fiber Rilt(TM) Cable
COLUMBIA, S.C., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ via NewsEdge
Corporation -- _ Pirelli Cables and Systems North
America is introducing its 864-Fiber RILT(TM)
(Ribbon-In-Loose-Tube) Cable, the next generation of
Pirelli's ultra-high-count fiber optic cable products,
during the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference in
Orlando, Fla., Sept. 13-17.
The 864-fiber cable offers the highest fiber count of any
fiber optic cable commercially available in North
America. It comes on the heels of Pirelli's introduction of
a 720-fiber RILT(TM) cable this spring and continues
Pirelli's standard of firsts in fiber optic cable technology.
The company was the first to supply a 432-fiber design
in 1995 and has continued to set the pace for the
industry with its 720- and 864-fiber designs.
RILT(TM) cables are a patented ribbon-in-loose-tube
design that incorporates Pirelli's reverse oscillating lay
technology. The ribbons are placed in flexible
color-coded buffer tubes, which improves fiber
identification and facilitates fiber management. This is
especially important with high-count cables, since a
single 864-fiber group would be difficult to identify and
manage. Access to fibers in the 864 RILT(TM) is
simplified by a standard 144-fiber grouping in each
color-coded tube.
Pirelli's design significantly enhances mid-span access,
which is increasingly important in today's
ever-changing networks. The product incorporates extra
buffer tube length to allow easy separation of the tubes
from the cable core. The craftsperson can work with the
fibers in one tube while fibers in adjacent tubes remain
unexposed to possible contamination or damage.
The RILT(TM) design also offers superior protection of
the optical fibers compared with central tube designs,
since the stranded buffer tubes offset the strain created
by the initial installation, residual tensions and
temperature variations experienced in today's outside
plant environment. These cables offer a high fiber count
within a small diameter and are easy to handle and
install because they flex along any axis.
"Our 864-fiber cable continues our evolutionary
development of cable solutions to meet our customers'
growing bandwidth needs," Raymond L. Robinson,
senior vice president and general manager of PCSNA's
Communications Division, said. "In most urban
environments, it is essential for our customers to be able
to increase capacity within the existing infrastructure.
Pirelli's 864-fiber cable enables them to do that."
Typically, fiber optic cable in urban environments is
installed in underground subducts of 1.25 inches in
diameter, which effectively limits the diameter of the
cable to approximately 1 inch. Pirelli engineers have
been able to double the fiber count from the
industry-standard 432 without increasing cable diameter
beyond the required threshold, eliminating the need for
costly construction or renovation of existing ducts.
The 864-fiber cable features Pirelli's flexible buffer tubes,
which may be easily routed in splice closures,
eliminating the need for transitional breakout tubing.
The cables also have a tensile strength rating of 1,000
pounds, which offers superior protection from damage
during installation compared with conventional
600-pound designs.
Pirelli fiber optic cable products are produced under
Bellcore CSQPSM and ISO 9001 registrations. Pirelliis
facilities in Lexington, S.C., and Surrey, British
Columbia, were the first cable manufacturing facilities in
North America to receive these designations.
Pirelli Cables and Systems North America is
headquartered in Columbia, S.C. With facilities in
Lexington and Abbeville, S.C., Colusa, Calif., Surrey,
British Columbia, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, and
Prescott, Ontario, it provides fiber optic cable and
photonics equipment for the communications industry
and energy transmission and distribution cable for the
utility and commercial building industries.
Pirelli Cables and Systems is a global manufacturer of
communications and power cables and systems. With
14,000 employees, 49 plants, Research and Development
centers in Italy, the United States, France, Great Britain
and Brazil, and total sales of more than $3.5 billion, Pirelli
ranks among the world leaders. The company is
increasingly focusing its R&D and manufacturing
resources and competencies on leading edge
technologies, based on optical fibers and photonics for
communications networks and superconductivity for
power transmission.
SOURCE Pirelli Cables and Systems North America
/CONTACT: Lee Bussell, Pirelli Cables and Systems
North America, 803-254-8158/
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