Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1192126
January/February/March 2020 I 43 too much or too little optical fiber. The customer only needs to install what is needed at the current time; if more optical fiber is needed later, then the fiber bundle is simply blown in. Both conventional fiber cables and blown fiber can be direct buried. In an aerial outside fiber installa- tion, there are numerous costs involved in the initial installation. These costs can include safety crews, manlifts and numerous technicians, not to mention the coordination with the facility if crossing roadways or pedestrian areas. In a conventional fiber installation, the fiber count installed is specified by the end user; for this example, 48-count conven- tional fiber is installed from building A to building B. Five years later, the facility decides to expand building B. The facility needs more fiber connec- tivity than the 48-count fiber previ- ously installed. For the new fiber to be installed conventionally, again the manlifts must be used along with multiple technicians to connect it to the existing fiber pathway, thereby incurring significant costs for the customer. If the blown fiber system Both conventional and blown fiber offer many options for termination of the fibers from single and multi-fiber connectors (e.g., LC, SC, ST and MPO) to splice-on- connector options. Pre-connectorized plug-and-play options are available with conventional cabling but are not with the blown fiber system. had been initially installed, assuming a 4-tube cable, the new fiber would have been blown into one of the unused open tubes. There would be no need for manlifts, ladders or extra technical personnel, once again saving the customer thousands of dollars while incurring less disruption and fewer safety concerns than con- ventional cabling. It is important to note that for aerial installations, blown fiber is not self-supporting so a proper support system must be used during the initial installation. For conventional cabling, a figure-8 type of messenger attached to the cable can be purchased to help support it in an aerial fiber installation. INDOOR FIBER APPLICATIONS Again, the fiber pathway infrastruc- ture must be established and installed for the fiber installation regardless of whether a conventional cabling or blown fiber solution is chosen. Depending on the specifics of the site, conventional cabling or blown fiber bundles may be installed in an open fashion in innerduct or