wiredInUSA April 2017

Record fiber?

Prysmian is claiming a new world record after delivering what is probably the highest fiber count underwater optical cable ever made

Prysmian Group is claiming a new world record after delivering what is probably the highest fiber count underwater optical cable ever made. cable containing 1,728 optical fibers has been successfully deployed by the Australian telecommunications provider Superloop for its TKO Express project, to provide broadband connection between the areas of Siu Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island and the data center hub of Tseung Kwan O (TKO) industrial estate on the mainland. The previous record was set in 2014, when Prysmian manufactured an underwater FlexTube cable with 720 fibers. The base 1728f FlexTube cable was made in Calais, France, then airfreighted to Australia for additional layers of moisture barriers and aluminum tape. To ensure An underwater FlexTube ®

that the cable would cope with the rigors of being buried up to 5m below the Hong Kong seabed, it was given double armoring layers of wrapped steel wires and finished with a final sheath. From cable design to completion took over two years. Matt Whitlock, COO at Superloop, said: “Seeing the cable being manufactured in France, processed in two different plants in Australia, and then transported on a plane to Hong Kong was simply fantastic.” “It was a logistics challenge indeed,” added Frederick Persson, CEO at Prysmian Australia. “Airfreighting a drum weighing 15 tonnes was something that we have never done before. But we mastered it, and the drum was successfully delivered to the TKO port three days before the promised date. It has [been a] great success for both companies.”

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wiredInUSA - April 2017