OFS ADDS THE ADVANTAGES OF ALLWAVE^® FLEX FIBER TO DROP NODE CABLES

Norcross, Georgia, June 25, 2008 - OFS, a world leader in the design and manufacture of fiberoptic solutions, announced today the availability of  its high-performance Drop Node Cables  featuring AllWave FLEX Zero Water Peak (ZWP) fiber, the first zero water peak G.652D fiber to offer up to 10 times better bending performance and 50% additional bandwidth than conventional single-mode fibers.

Drop node cables are designed to connect optical distribution nodes to optical drop cables and are essential to help ensure a reliable, high-quality service to customers. The OFS Node Cable designs are noted for their excellent transition support and easy installation. These innovative designs can accommodate a wide variety of loose tube or central core cable designs with up to 12 fibers. The cable configurations can be customized according to customers’ needs, with a wide variety of options: connector types, number of fibers, cable types, length,  and fiber types, now including AllWave FLEX fiber. All assemblies are factory assembled and tested.

AllWave FLEX ZWP fiber provides up to 66% lower bending loss than that specified in the ITU G.657A standard for bend capable fibers, and has stable and permanent low loss, due to OFS’ patented ZWP fiber manufacturing process, which eliminates hydrogen-aging defects. Fully compliant with ITU-T G.652.D and G.657.A, it exhibits full spectrum performance across the wavelengths from 1260 to 1625 nm, excellent geometry control for exceptionally low splice and connector loss, as well as ultra-low and stable Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) for maximum reach and bandwidth. It is fully compatible with AllWave ZWP fiber and other leading conventional single-mode fiber types, and can be spliced to conventional G.652 fibers with standard splice machines and settings.

“The availability of AllWave FLEX fiber in Drop Node Cables provides one more option to strengthen the optical path in the rugged outside plant environment,” said Daniel Hendrickson, Senior Manager, Product Line Management, at OFS. “The exceptional performance of the fiber combined with the excellent mechanical protection of the cable results in a product that meets the needs of the communication industry,” Mr. Hendrickson added.

Samples of the Drop Node Cables will be displayed at the OFS Booth # 1507 at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2008, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

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 included 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.

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PR Contact:
Fernando Costantino
Marketing Communications Manager
OFS
Phone 770-798-2729
fcostantino@ofsoptics.com