Telect’s frame of mind

ATLANTA—Taking clutter, confusion and danger out of fiber optic distribution is what Telect had in mind with its new Advanced Distribution Frame revealed today at Supercommm. The new distribution frame is for use in high fiber count central offices, gateways and cable head ends.

The product also takes curvature of fiber into account with 30mm bend protection incorporated into it, according to Jeff Gibson, vice president and general manager of the Optical Products Group at Telect.

“We are trying to future-proof the optical network at the physical layer,” Gibson said. “Frames are one of the critical problems with fiber distribution,” he added.

The company is pushing that at those distribution points, factors such as density, reliability and safety must be addressed. The new equipment addresses density by supporting 2304 terminations, reliability with the high-bend radius and safety through laser protection.

“Laser protection is becoming an increasingly important issue as [wattage] is on the rise,” Gibson said.

The company is using what it calls a “beam stop,” which acts as a barrier to prevent radiation from reaching the technician. In addition to protecting the technician, the company is protecting the circuits by having minimal fiber exposure.

“We protect each circuit by a minimum exposure of fiber optics and by keeping the design simple,” he said.
Liane LaBarba is Senior Editor at Telephony. She can be reached at labarba@airmail.net.