Nexans to supply innovative aerial extractable cable solution to help DST Telecom roll out FTTH to rural regions of Portugal
Aerial extractable cable solution is an elegant alternative to traditional ADSS cables that enables operators to bridge the digital divide by bringing cost-effective FTTH implementation to rural areas.
Paris, February 19, 2013 – Nexans, a worldwide expert in the cable industry, has been awarded a major, three-year, contract by Portugal’s DST Telecom Group to supply an aerial extractable cable system to deploy high-speed broadband fibre to the home (FTTH) in rural areas of the country.
The new cable has been developed to help operators first to minimize their financial risk at initial stage, second to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of their FTTH deployments in low to medium-density subscriber areas typical of rural regions. By reducing in-place costs by up to around 20 percent for the CAPEX and OPEX (capital expenditures and operating expenses), compared with traditional aerial cables, such as ADSS (All Dielectric Self Supported Cable), the Nexans solution can help operators to address the ‘digital divide’ by bringing ultra high speed broad band services to remote parts of the world.
Nexans’ approach to extractable FTTH cable technology is well proven in underground ducted installations in metropolitan environments, for example, a considerable amount of the cable has been deployed in Paris. This latest development is adapted to provide a flexible and cost-approach for aerial installations in rural areas where ducting is unavailable and the take up of subscribers is unpredictable.
“There is considerable concern worldwide about the growing digital divide between urban and rural areas, and our new extractable FTTH aerial cable provides an elegant, flexible and cost-effective way for operators to bridge this divide,” says Veronique Stappers, Nexans Marketing VP for Telecom Infrastructure. “We are delighted that DST Telecom Group will be the first to deploy this new solution which is ideally suited for aerial configuration, in rural areas, commonly met in Western and Eastern Europe, as well as many other parts of the world, where there is a strong desire for high-speed broadband, but where operators have been reluctant to invest in infrastructure because of the uncertainty surrounding the subscriber take up of services.”
Technical note – The aerial extractable cable system
Nexans’ aerial extractable cable system is intended for installation on existing pole infrastructure, such as for overhead power lines in rural areas.
To make a new subscriber connection the cable’s secondary/peripheral element is cut open in two positions: at the location of the connection box and at a suitable location a short distance along the cable.
A key factor that makes the aerial extractable cable solution appealing is that, unlike conventional ADSS installations, there is no need to provide obtrusive ‘loops’ at the pole tops or unsightly and costly double layings of drop cables along the main cable to allow for future subscriber connections.
About Nexans
With energy at the basis of its development, Nexans, worldwide expert in the cable industry, offers an extensive range of cables and cabling solutions. The Group is a global player in the energy transmission and distribution, , industry and building markets. Nexans addresses a wide series of market segments: from energy and telecom networks to energy resources (wind turbines, photovoltaic, oil and gas or mining…) to transportation (shipbuilding, aerospace, automotive and automation, railways…).
Nexans is a responsible industrial company that regards sustainable development as integral to its global and operational strategy. Continuous innovation in products, solutions and services, employee development and commitment, customer orientation and the introduction of safe industrial processes with limited environmental impact are among the key initiatives that place Nexans at the core of a sustainable future.
With an industrial presence in 40 countries and commercial activities worldwide, Nexans employs 25,000 people and had sales in 2012 of 7.2 billion euros. Nexans is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris, compartment A.
