January/February/March 2020 I 43
Both conventional and blown fiber offer
many options for termination of the fibers
from single and multi-fiber connectors
(e.g., LC, SC, ST and MPO) to splice-on-
connector options. Pre-connectorized
plug-and-play options are available with
conventional cabling but are not
with the blown fiber system.
too much or too little optical fiber.
The customer only needs to install
what is needed at the current time;
if more optical fiber is needed later,
then the fiber bundle is simply blown
in. Both conventional fiber cables
and blown fiber can be direct buried.
In an aerial outside fiber installation,
there are numerous costs
involved in the initial installation.
These costs can include safety crews,
manlifts and numerous technicians,
not to mention the coordination
with the facility if crossing roadways
or pedestrian areas. In a conventional
fiber installation, the fiber count
installed is specified by the end user;
for this example, 48-count conventional
fiber is installed from building
A to building B. Five years later, the
facility decides to expand building B.
The facility needs more fiber connectivity
than the 48-count fiber previously
installed. For the new fiber to
be installed conventionally, again
the manlifts must be used along with
multiple technicians to connect it to
the existing fiber pathway, thereby
incurring significant costs for the
customer. If the blown fiber system
had been initially installed, assuming
a 4-tube cable, the new fiber would
have been blown into one of the
unused open tubes. There would be
no need for manlifts, ladders or extra
technical personnel, once again
saving the customer thousands of
dollars while incurring less disruption
and fewer safety concerns than conventional
cabling. It is important
to note that for aerial installations,
blown fiber is not self-supporting so
a proper support system must be used
during the initial installation. For
conventional cabling, a figure-8 type
of messenger attached to the cable
can be purchased to help support it
in an aerial fiber installation.
INDOOR FIBER
APPLICATIONS
Again, the fiber pathway infrastructure
must be established and installed
for the fiber installation regardless
of whether a conventional cabling
or blown fiber solution is chosen.
Depending on the specifics of the
site, conventional cabling or blown
fiber bundles may be installed in
an open fashion in innerduct or
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