Mar 24 2008
Clearfield, Inc., today announced the FieldSmart Fiber Scalability CenterTM (FSC), a first-of-its-kind complete PON solution for managing up to 576 distribution fibers for an outside plant FTTx application. FieldSmart FSC sets the bar for density, providing up to 288 fibers in a compact 16x16x32 footprint or 576 fibers in an equally smart 33x16x32" design. Optimal access is ensured to all ports and superior fiber protection is integrated within the patent-pending Clearview Cassette technology.
With Clearfield’s Clearview Cassette™ at its heart, the FieldSmart FSC changes the rules of fiber management. Core to the design is that fiber is protected in sub-units of 12 fibers. Jacketed cable storage is eliminated because the 900um tight buffers have shed the outer riser-rated jacket in favor of the cassette that protects it not only from human accidental damage, but also provides full bend radius protection throughout. The FieldSmart FSC accommodates all fiber management needs plus all the required slack storage for a 288 home-served Patch & Splice configuration in just four cubic feet of cabinet space.
FieldSmart Patch & Splice Reduces Costs without Sacrificing Quality or Convenience
Vantage Point, an engineering consulting firm based in the Midwest, has long been a proponent of the use of Patch & Splice within an outside plant enclosure. “By splicing in the cabinet, cables are easier to manage and it eliminates the worry of a splice case being installed wrong and taking on water,” explains Director of OSP Operations Todd Sapp. “Further if a jumper is damaged, a new jumper can be routed to the appropriate tray inside of the cabinet without going back into the case – saving time and money.”
Sapp continues, “The cost savings of eliminating the splice case and the 100 foot cable stubs -- as well as the time it takes to prep it -- are added benefits.”
“The Patch & Splice approach to OSP cabinets results in a cost savings of more than $900 per cabinet,” estimates Johnny Hill, vice president of product development and management at Clearfield. ”FieldSmart takes Patch & Splice a step further. Due to the ‘nesting design’ of the Clearview Cassette, splice trays are integrated into the protection of the Cassette itself, allowing the field splicer to still capture all the convenience of a Patch Only configuration, such as splicing in an environmentally protected trailer.”
Bob Ward, a broadband engineer on staff with Foothills Telephone, a Kentucky-based ILEC explained, “Clearfield’s patch and splice cabinet will make it is easier for us to match up the OSP cables when they’re brought into the cabinet to splice. We have an aerial build, so Patch & Splice cleans up the telephone poles by not having splice closures on them, and fiber record-keeping is much improved.”