Telecom Lead America: TE Connectivity (TE) will showcase
a range of new cell site and backhaul connectivity solutions at the CTIA
conference.
These products bring new levels of flexibility and
cost-effectiveness to cell site and backhaul connectivity with innovative fiber
handling and connector technologies, and they support a wide range of
applications in both indoor and outdoor scenarios.
The main products include TE’s flexible fiber box (FFB),
a demarcation and aggregation box designed with maximum flexibility to
accommodate any fiber connectivity needs. The solution mounts on a wall, pole,
or any flat surface, and is available in 12- and 24-count fiber configurations.
TE’s FFB can be factory or field-configured for spliced,
connectorized, or multi-connectorized applications. The FFB provides future
expandability without running additional fiber from the backhaul into the cell
site or from the base station to the radio heads, resulting in reduced labor
costs, weight and cable congestion.
In addition, the FFB can incorporate TE’s RapidReel fiber
cable spool. The RapidReel spool internally stores up to 250 feet of 12-fiber
indoor/outdoor cable, which reduces the number of individual fiber connections
to be made by a factor of 12. Installers simply pull out as much cable as they
need to make an equipment connection. Any additional slack cable is easily
stored back on the internal spool.
Also on display at TE’s booth is the Rapid Fiber panel,
which also features the RapidReel fiber cable spool. With applications ranging
from central offices and data centers to cell sites and customer premises,
Rapid Fiber panels offer extensive features and benefits. Rapid Fiber panels
provide as much as 25 percent savings on the total cost of installation.
The FFB and the Rapid Fiber panel can often eliminate the
time and expense of site surveys, because no build-to-order cable lengths are
required. Service providers can speed time to provisioning by weeks with a
connectivity solution that reduces splicing costs and by cutting patch cord
connections by a factor of 12, and the Rapid Fiber panel facilitates worry-free
installation of fiber with a robust micro-cable that is easier to handle.
The FFB and the Rapid Fiber panel simplify cell site and
backhaul deployments by slashing the cost of connecting fiber. These products
are part of TE’s ongoing commitment to speeding time to market and reducing
costs for mobile operators,” said Jaxon Lang, vice president of the TE Telecom
Networks business unit.