Ruggedized Splitter offers Outside Plant fiber connectivity.

Press Release Summary:



APACN ruggedized splitter withstands temperatures from -55 to +85°C and provides fiber protection, management, and maintenance in FTTx deployments. One-touch turn-up design allows output legs to be handled only during customer turn-up, reducing human handling. As component of Fiber Scalability Center Outside Plant cabinets, splitter supports one 1 x 32, two 1 x 16, or four 1 x 8 configurations without penalty in real estate or port counts.



Original Press Release:



APA Cables & Networks Introduces Industry's First Ruggedized 'One-Touch' Splitter



Innovation Leads New Line of Ruggedized Patchcords, Pigtails and Splitters, Strengthening the Reliability and Integrity of the Passive Optical Network

PLYMOUTH, Minn., May 8 / / -- APA Cables & Networks (NASDAQ:APAT) (APACN), a leading provider of fiber connectivity systems for Fiber-to-the-x (FTTx) networks and wholly owned subsidiary of APA Enterprises, Inc., today announced a new line of ruggedized passive connectivity solutions for the Outside Plant (OSP), including the industry's first ruggedized splitter. APACN's ruggedized splitter addresses environmental and human handling issues that today's splitters cannot combat. It also provides fiber protection, management and maintenance in an OSP environment, especially in today's FTTx deployments.

"While traditional riser-rated material meets established industry standards, the reality is that fiber is being installed deeper into the outside plant. This threatens the performance and reliability that fiber promises," commented Cheri Beranek Podzimek, APA Cables & Networks president. "The availability of ruggedized cabling material prompted us to introduce a new standard for reliability in the OSP with a line of ruggedized patchcords, pigtails and splitters that can withstand the environmental and human handling issues of harsh environments."

Less Handling Required

Human handling is the number one reason for network downtime -- a situation which is exacerbated by extreme weather environments. Unique to the APACN ruggedized splitter is its "one-touch turn-up" design, allowing output legs to be handled only during customer turn-up. Unlike many competing products that require the output legs to be moved to a parking lot after the splitter is installed, then moved again when the customer is turned-up, APACN's easy one-touch approach requires less human handling, thus reducing the chance of fiber damage.

The superior flexibility inherent in the ruggedized splitter's optical cable is maintained in temperatures ranging from -55 degrees C to +85 degrees C and will not sag or wilt during temperature cycles. This flexibility helps in preventing microbends in the fiber which could lead to network failure points and ultimately, customer downtime.

In addition to being a part of APACN optical components, the ruggedized optical cable is available as patchcords or pigtails for the OSP as well as in pre-connectorized solutions.

"Traditional optical cables are stiff, full of memory, and hard to manage at very low temperatures. They also will sag during bouts of high temperatures," commented Johnny Hill, APA Cables & Networks vice president of product development. "Our ruggedized solutions address temperature extremes on both ends of the thermometer, improving network reliability and protecting revenue generating circuits."

Standard Item

APACN's ruggedized splitter is the standard splitter component in its Fiber Scalability Center (FSC), the company's line of OSP cabinets. The FSC is a key component in today's independent telephone, cable television and municipal FTTx passive optical networks (PON). The ruggedized splitter supports (1) 1x32, (2) 1x16 or (4) 1x8 configurations, without a penalty in real estate or port counts, making it one of the most adaptive solutions in the market.

Immediately Available

APACN's new "one-touch" ruggedized splitter, as well as its other new ruggedized cabling material line, is now available for purchase. Custom solutions employing APACN's ruggedized materials and design capabilities are also available. To learn more, visit www.apacn.com/ .

Overview of APACN's Outside Plant Cabinet: The Fiber Scalability Center (FSC)

APACN's FSC provides a modular and scalable fiber distribution platform for any FTTx architecture. The system is designed for "grow-as-you-go" cost containment by combining minimized installation costs with easy upgradeability, allowing companies to roll out FTTx services without a large initial expense.

Utilizing field-tested designs to maximize bend radius protection, connector access, ease of cable routing and physical protection, each cabinet stores feeder and distribution splices, splitters, connectors and slack cable neatly and compactly, minimizing the risk of fiber damage. All FSC units are available in a variety of configurations and can be either pad or pole mounted for added adaptability. They also offer both front and rear doors for unobstructed access to all fiber splitters and connectors.

APACN's FSC is listed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD), allowing rural broadband service providers to apply broadband loan dollars toward the purchase of this equipment. APACN is one of a limited number of OSP cabinet suppliers in the U.S. to receive this listing.

APACN's Fiber Termination Expertise - The GR-326 Certification Advantage

The trend in today's FTTx environment is to move the fiber closer to the end user, making reliable OSP cabinets and their components a necessity. As part of its high performance OSP connectivity platform, APACN's fiber optic termination process has been tested by Telcordia Laboratories to determine conformance to GR-326 standards.

As the first manufacturer of 900-micron cable assemblies to complete this certification testing, APACN conforms to GR-326, assuring optical performance stability throughout the lifetime of the terminated fiber, even in extreme OSP environments. The result is less maintenance and deployment challenges in the passive optical network.

About APA Cables & Networks, Inc.

APA Cables & Networks (APACN) is a leading provider of fiber connectivity systems designed to meet the unique and demanding requirements of today's independent telephone, cable television and municipal networks. The APACN product line, including fiber frames and panels, OSP cabinets and optical components, offers an innovative, modular and scalable platform designed for use in central office and OSP architectures and has successfully been deployed in some of the harshest of Fiber-to-the-x (FTTx) environments. A full-line of fiber and copper assemblies complements the APACN solution. To learn more, please visit www.apacn.com/ .

Source: APA Cables & Networks

Web site: www.apacn.com/

All Topics