Central loose-tube cable puts all the fibers in one gel-filled tube at the centre of the cable, which makes it compact and cheap to produce at moderate fiber counts.
In a loose-tube cable the fibers sit free inside a water-blocked tube, so they never carry mechanical load and attenuation stays low in harsh outdoor conditions. In tight-buffered cable each fiber is coated to 900 microns, which makes connectorising easier but offers less protection against moisture and temperature.
A single gel-filled or dry tube holds up to 24 fibers at the centre of the cable, surrounded by strength members and an outer jacket. The design is compact and economical at lower fiber counts.
It is widely used for metro, access and FTTH feeder routes where fiber counts are moderate and a small cable diameter is an advantage in congested ducts.
Our central loose-tube cables are designed and tested against the IEC 60794-3 series for outdoor optical cables.
The central tube construction typically supports 2 to 24 fibers, using G652D or G657 single mode fiber.
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