In the distribution portion of the passive optical network (PON) for fiber-tothe- premise (FTTP) architectures, the choice of fiber cabling – ribbon vs. loose tube – can directly impact ease of installation and future performance. As is usually the case in these networks, specific architectural characteristics and particular applications may dictate the deployment of one type of cable over the other. However, ADC’s experience in developing and manufacturing FTTP network equipment has concluded that in most cases, ribbon cable provides a considerable performance advantage over loose tube in the distribution portion of the PON network | Ribbon vs. Loose Tube Fiber Cabling WHITE PAPER Ribbon vs. Loose Tube Fiber Cabling Making the Right Fiber Cable Choice can Improve Overall Performance of Distribution Cables in the pOn In the distribution portion of the passive optical network PON for fiber-to-the-premise FTTP architectures the choice of fiber cabling - ribbon vs. loose tube - can directly impact ease of installation and future performance. As is usually the case in these networks specific architectural characteristics and particular applications may dictate the deployment of one type of cable over the other. However ADC s experience in developing and manufacturing FTTP network equipment has concluded that in most cases ribbon cable provides a considerable performance advantage over loose tube in the distribution portion of the PON network. Fiber Density is Key The most obvious asset for ribbon cable is its higher fiber density. This is particularly important for upstream applications requiring high fiber-count cables. Material costs decrease since less plastic is involved and fewer strength members are required. Additionally it takes significantly less termination time and cost with ribbon cable because of its mass fusion splicing capability as compared to one-by-one fiber splicing. Even with techniques available for ribbonizing loose tube fibers - basically stacking the fibers and using a spray adhesive to simulate ribbon cable - for mass fusion splicing using ribbon cable to begin with eliminates the need for this extra step. Ribbon is therefore a better choice for termination in areas of the network that require a high volume of fibers. As the network branches farther out towards the premise the need for high fiber-count cables decreases. Once the density becomes less than 144 fibers loose tube cables have certain advantages. For example loose tube cables offer the ability to peel off single tubes to access up to 12 fibers without disturbing the other fibers within the cable - even when .
