installation for a new building or
a renovation. It is ultimately up to
customers to choose which option is
best, but it is the responsibility of the
designer to make them aware of all
the options.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Kathy Woolf,
RCDD, is an account/project manager
for NET 100, Ltd. in Virginia. Kathy has
been in the telecommunications industry
since 1984. She has been involved with
the design and implementation of network
cable infrastructure for over 25 years.
Kathy received her RCDD certification
from BICSI in 2007. She can be reached
at kwoolf@net100ltd.com.
REFERENCES:
1. All images are used with expressed
permission of Sumitomo Electric
Lightwave. © 2019 Sumitomo Electric
Lightwave Corp. All rights reserved.
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January/February/March 2020 I 45
568, ICEA640, UL1581, UL1666 and
NFPA 262. Blown fiber has been
installed in the U.S. and North
America now for nearly thirty years
and has become widely accepted,
as it has for a long while in Europe.
Another concern is the upfront
costs of the pathway infrastructure
installation. It is estimated that
a blown fiber solution can cost up
to 30 percent more for the initial
pathway installation when compared
to conventional. Therefore,
it must be determined if the future
expandability is worth the cost to
the customer. If the network infrastructure
is anticipated to be more
static with few upgrades or expansions,
then conventional cabling
would most likely be the preferred
solution. There is no doubt that the
blown fiber system has advantages
over conventional once the tube
cable is in place, such as the ease of
fiber installation, the flexibility to
install fiber as needed, and the lower
cost of installing new fiber. Fiber
bundles can be installed in an in-
place tube cable at speeds of up to
150 feet per minute. To install 150
feet of conventional fiber cable, it
could take several hours. It is also
worth mentioning that previously
installed fiber bundles can also be
blown out of the tube cable if the
path is needed for a different type of
fiber; the fiber bundle removed can
actually be reused elsewhere. When
comparing conventional cabling to
blown fiber overall, there are many
times that the blown fiber system
should at least be considered. For
industrial and campus-wide applications,
the increased cost of the initial
installation can be small compared
to the cost savings for future additions
and expansions.
In conclusion, it is important to
consider the options when designing
and implementing a new fiber optic
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