Fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) architectures are presenting both new challenges and new opportunities regarding the use of connectors in the outside plant (OSP). At no other time have connectors been as necessary in OSP architectures – and they are destined to become even more prevalent in the days ahead as the FTTP networking market continues to gain momentum. Service providers competing for the FTTP market require the same flexibility in test access and the ability to provision that they have typically enjoyed in the central office. They need to scale service in a cost-effective manner | od J CL Challenges of Cold Temperatures on OSP Cable Assemblies for FTTP Challenges of Cold Temperatures on OSP Cable Assemblies for FTTP Introduction Fiber-to-the-premise FTTP architectures are presenting both new challenges and new opportunities regarding the use of connectors in the outside plant OSP . At no other time have connectors been as necessary in OSP architectures - and they are destined to become even more prevalent in the days ahead as the FTTP networking market continues to gain momentum. Service providers competing for the FTTP market require the same flexibility in test access and the ability to provision that they have typically enjoyed in the central office. They need to scale service in a cost-effective manner. Splicing is expensive and since it is basically hard-wiring is not very flexible. Therefore to achieve the flexibility required for FTTP networks it simply makes sense to use connectors at several key points of the network architecture. So for the first time network architects will be using more connectors - and cable assemblies with connectors attached - to gain the best flexibility for the OSP portions of their FTTP networks. This creates some significant challenges for connectors particularly their effectiveness in harsher outside environments. Challenges of cold temperatures on OSP cable assemblies for FTTP Connectors in the OSP Meeting the unique challenges of FTTP requires the production of components that are cost effective yet still perform to OSP standards under austere temperature conditions. In this paper ADC will address one important performance measurement issue for outside plant OSP cable assemblies - how well they can adapt to cold temperatures. Insertion loss IL failures for instance are a direct result of cable and cable assembly component shrinkage due to low temperatures. If this shrinkage isn t somehow addressed in the manufacturing process the optical fibers can eventually break. ADC assemblies are designed to .
