At Cable Tec Expo in Atlanta, Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) announced general availability of its FieldShiel FLEXdrop Deploy Reel, the latest addition to the company's portfolio of fiber and drop assemblies. Designed for deployment at the demarcation point, the FLEXdrop Deploy Reel is intended to simplify and increase the number of FTTx installations per day.
"Clearfield's FieldShield FLEXdrop Deploy Reel is already providing early-adopter customers better options for FTTx installations while decreasing the amount of time technicians have to spend on-site for service wiring and turn-up," said Kevin Morgan, Clearfield's chief marketing officer. "As the latest edition to Clearfield's FieldShield fiber and drop cable solutions, the FLEXdrop Deploy Reel provides another tool for service providers to quickly install to the home, MDU or business an adaptable-length drop cable for rapid turn-up with minimized on-site time."
FieldShield FLEXdrop is UV/UL listed and built with bend-insensitive single-mode G.657 A2 fiber and an indoor/outdoor plenum-rated flexible sheath. FieldShield FLEXdrop fiber can be stapled with standard T18 or other rounded staples, pass through conduits, or be placed in riser and plenum spaces. Excess FieldShield FLEXdrop remains stored on the deploy reel.
"Expanding our FTTx deployments is a key priority for us as we look to deliver the bandwidth and services our members want. Anything that helps lower the cost and expedites service activation time is an asset that cannot be undervalued," said Eric Kehler, plant operations manager for DirectLink which serves the Canby and Mt. Angel, OR, areas. "Clearfield continues to deliver the products and services we need to maximize return on investment and shorten time to revenue for new fiber-based services. The FieldShield FLEXdrop Deploy Reel is another valuable addition to the toolkit our system integrators will leverage to reduce inventory carrying costs, cut down design time and limit the overall costs associated with fiber deployments."
Now shipping, the FLEXdrop Deploy Reel is optimized for installation in the YOURx-TAP and in the FieldSmart SCD Wall Box. Within the YOURx-TAP, the deploy reel holds up to 100 feet of FieldShield FLEXdrop. The FieldSmart SCD Wall Box holds up to 200 feet of FieldShield FLEXdrop on the deploy reel or can alternatively store up to 100 feet of flat drop slack after having been stripped to its 3 mm or smaller inner jacket.
In other Clearfield news, the company has signed the ECAM Group, Giganet Sales, and Teracom Sales as part of its manufacturer's representative program. The partnership is intended to enable cable multiple system operators (MSOs) to more quickly get access to Clearfield's unified fiber management, protection and delivery platforms as they expand fiber investment in the multiple dwelling unit (MDU) market.