New AllWave® FLEX + ZWP Fiber For In-Building Applications Offers 20 Times Better Bend Performance

NORCROSS, Ga., Sept. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- OFS, a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of innovative fiber optic network products, has introduced AllWave® FLEX+ fiber, the first Zero Water Peak (ZWP) single-mode fiber compliant to the ITU-T G.657.A2 specification. The fiber offers bend performance 20 times better than conventional single-mode fibers, is fully compatible with the installed base of conventional single-mode fiber, and enhances the OFS bend-optimized single-mode fiber product line.  

AllWave FLEX+ ZWP fiber maintains very low bending loss across the full usable spectrum of wavelengths from 1260 to 1625 nm. It can be coiled into a 7.5 mm radius loop with <0.5 dB incurred loss at 1550 nm and <1.0 dB incurred loss at 1625 nm. The fiber also offers outstanding bending performance at a 10 mm radius loop, with <0.1 dB incurred loss at 1550 nm and <0.2 dB incurred loss at 1625 nm.

It also helps improve cable performance in high-stress and low-temperature environments, with double the microbending performance of conventional single-mode fibers. In addition, AllWave FLEX+ fiber utilizes an optimized waveguide design which offers easier, lower loss fusion splicing versus other G.657.A2 fibers. It is fully splice- and performance-compatible with AllWave ZWP fiber, AllWave FLEX ZWP fiber, EZ-Bend® Technology fibers, and other conventional single-mode fiber types.

AllWave FLEX+ fiber retains the performance benefits of OFS' AllWave Zero Water Peak fiber, the first fiber to eliminate the water peak defect found in conventional single-mode fiber. It has stable and permanent low loss, due to OFS' patented ZWP fiber manufacturing process, which eliminates hydrogen-aging defects. The fiber exhibits unsurpassed geometry control for the lowest splice and connector loss, as well as ultra-low and stable Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) for maximum reach and bandwidth.

The macrobending and microbending loss improvements of AllWave FLEX+ fiber help protect the network against excessive loss resulting from inadvertent fiber bends. It is less susceptible to physical disturbances from cable flexing, pulling and crushing, as well as to bending due to routing within enclosures and cabinets.

AllWave FLEX+ fiber enables more compact cabinet and enclosure designs – an important advantage in FTTH applications. For high bandwidth applications, such as 10 Gb/s, 40 Gb/s, and 100 Gb/s wavelength division multiplexing, the fiber dramatically improves reliability related to system outages caused by fiber bend sensitivity that can threaten service in networks operating at longer wavelengths such as 1550 nm or 1625 nm.

AllWave FLEX+ fiber complements OFS' existing AllWave® FLEX  ZWP fiber, which is optimized for bend-challenged outside plant cables  and  OSP drop cables. The new AllWave FLEX + ZWP fiber is designed for use in Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), cell sites, enterprise networks, or any application where small bend diameters may be encountered. EZ- Bend Technology fiber enables fast and easy installation of in-residence MDU and home cabling without expensive bend radius management hardware.

AllWave FLEX+ ZWP fiber is available in OFS' premises cable and connectivity product lines. This includes the OFS FOX ® Fiber Optics to the X solution MDU, cabinet, cell site, and Central Office products.

About OFS

OFS is a world-leading designer, manufacturer and provider of optical fiber, optical fiber cable, FTTX, optical connectivity and specialty photonics products.  Our manufacturing and research divisions work together to provide innovative products and solutions that traverse many different applications as they link people and machines worldwide. Between continents, between cities, around neighborhoods, and into homes and businesses of digital consumers we provide the right optical fiber, optical cable and components for efficient, cost-effective transmission.

OFS' corporate lineage dates back to 1876 and includes technology powerhouses such as AT&T (NYSE: T) and Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel-Lucent, NYSE: ALU). Today, OFS is owned by Furukawa Electric, a multi-billion dollar global leader in optical communications.

Headquartered in Norcross (near Atlanta) Georgia, U.S., OFS is a global provider with facilities in Avon, Connecticut; Carrollton, Georgia; Somerset, New Jersey; and Sturbridge, Massachusetts, as well as in Denmark, Germany and Russia.

For more information, please visit www.ofsoptics.com.

SOURCE OFS