Imagine this: bustling city, narrow streets, and we need to run fiber optic cable underground. Not just any path either, we had twists, turns, even a section under a river! Talk about an obstacle course! The scenario we just described is not an imaginary one, we are talking about a street in the city of Gent, Belgium.
And what were we doing there? Well, we wanted to test the blowing capacity of our 7.4 mm diameter cable that could handle a tight squeeze – a 10mm duct with room for 288 fibers! That’s a lot of data packed into a tiny space.
Choosing the right cable was pivotal. STL’s new series of HD Micro cables with reduced diameter and enhanced bend performance was perfect for this deployment. It is thinner than usual fiber optic cable and can bend like nobody’s business – perfect for navigating that crazy Gent track which has more than twenty 90-degree corners and four manholes.
Now, when we got to the site, the sheer complexity of the path had us a bit worried initially. We spent a good amount of time testing the ducts, calibrating our equipment, and making sure everything was just right. Normally, you need a bullet on the tip of the cable to increase the blow distance, but in this case, we did not use bullets during blowing to match conditions that our customers go through during fibre deployments. This meant the cable was cut in an angle and no bullet or glue was used, as depicted in the image below:
We started on a good note where we were flying through that cable at over 100 meters per minute for the first 1200 meters. In the last part of the track, after hitting a few snags and technical hiccups, the team was able to successfully deploy the cable in the entire 1800m track. The installers at the site acknowledged that the cable was easy to work with – that’s what the STLer team stands for – enabling faster network deployments with high quality optical products.
Moreover, this deployment wasn’t just about laying a cable; it was about pushing the limits and proving what fiber optic technology can do. It’s a testament to the power of teamwork and our commitment to provide the best optical products to our customers that ensures seamless connectivity for all.
