Corning Cable Systems has introduced a new set of pre-terminated optical fiber products designed specifically for connecting cell tower antennas for backhaul purposes.
Corning’s Evolant fiber-to-the-antenna (FTTA) solutions aim to make it easier to serve towers by providing a terminal at the base station, in contrast to connecting directly.
Fiber-fed remote radio technology offers potential savings to both capital expenditures and operating expenses, compared to traditional coaxial cable-based solutions, by reducing installation time and the number and size of components installed in these crowded environments, Corning said.
The approach also creates the option to upgrade or expand with additional radios at the cell site.
The most basic way to connect remote radios (or units) to their base transceiver station (BTS) is to homerun optical and power cables from each remote radio to the BTS, Corning said. But with a terminal-based solution, in which optical terminals are placed at the tower or rooftop, short jumpers can be connected to each remote radio. A single optical cable runs from the terminal to the base station, reducing the size and number of components and lease costs, Corning explained.
Products in the line include:
- The OptiSheath MF2 MultiPort Terminal, which is placed at the top of the tower or on the rooftop to form the foundation of the solution
- Remote Radio Fiber Optic Cable Assembly, a preconnectorized assembly with a connector for the radio interface on one end and the terminal on the other
- Remote Radio Distribution Terminal, which combines optical and power connectivity into one terminal
- Wireless Consolidation Terminal, which allows wireless backhaul providers to easily manage fiber drops to base station equipment at the cell site
- Cell Site Drop Assembly, which is a preconnectorized cable assembly that makes that final link from the demarcation cabinet to an individual operator.
