Sm@rter FTTh

Increased consumer demand for higher levels of bandwidth has seen the use of optical fibre moving closer and closer to the end user. Fibre To The Home (FTTh) or Fibre To The Premises (FTTp) is the latest generation of technology designed to deliver high quality telecom services such as high speed internet, video on demand and telephony directly to the home.

Although the implementation of FTTh community networks has, until now, been sluggish due to the capital expenditure required, innovations in the design and development of optical fibre cable and accessories has seen telecommunications carriers and land developers, in conjunction with local Government, looking to roll out FTTh as a standard for many new infrastructure developments. Prysmian has recently carried out several major projects in this area. In the US, for example, Prysmian was selected as one of the main partners to develop the FTTh infrastructure of Verizon. In Europe, a number of FTTh systems have been developed in Scandinavia and France and most recently, in Germany, where Prysmian was contracted to provide a complete fibre network to Schwerte, a town of 50,000 people in the western region of the country.

In Australia, Prysmian work very closely with key stakeholders in infrastructure projects offering a number of solutions which have been very well received in the market place. For example, Prysmian has developed the plug and play QUICKDR@W® solution, a system that allows simple and effective of connecting customer’s premises without the need for splicing.

Prysmian has also developed the new SM@RTCORE® range of optical fibre cables which have a reduced cross sectional area by as much as 40%. SM@RTCORE® cables are smaller and lighter than conventional cables and are, therefore, easier to install. The reduction in cable diameter significantly reduces the minimum bend diameter, reducing bend management systems.

However, the major benefit of the 40% reduction in cable cross sectional area is a significant improvement in duct utilization. Assuming that ducts in most metropolitan areas are currently at least 50% occupied, this innovation could increase the utilisation of the current duct network by 75%.

Prysmian SM@RTCORE® cables also feature the new semi-dry gel within the tube to prevent moisture ingress. Unlike conventional gel, which is difficult to remove when terminating the cable, the new semi-dry product is far quicker to remove and significantly reduces installation time, and therefore cost, whilst still providing excellent water blocking and buffering properties.

Innovations such as these are the result of Prysmian's continual focus on research & development and have made FTTh roll out a more cost effective solution to future proofing today’s communities for their information technology requirements. Prysmian’s innovative FTTh solutions have been utilized in a number of housing estate development projects throughout the country including the connection of 185 homes in Western Australia and 296 homes in Queensland.

Director of Prysmian's global telecom cables and optical fibres business, Mr Giovanni B Scotti, recently commented that "FTTH deployment continues to gather pace around the world. The advantages of fibre to the end user are becoming more apparent and we see the move towards fibre-rich access networks as an irreversible trend. It is essential that we, as providers of the passive infrastructure, maintain our product innovation and development to enable efficient and cost effective deployment of these networks in line with this growing demand."