Breakthrough in Small-Count Fiber Management From Clearfield

MINNEAPOLIS — Small-count fiber management has become radically simpler and less expensive with Clearfield's new Clearview xPAK cassette. Although the cassette looks like a child's model-building kit and is priced to match (prices start at under $100), it is engineered to do a variety of serious jobs requiring management of up to six fibers. The xPAK will be on view at next month's Broadband Properties Summit.

Clearview xPAK is delivered as a flat, single-piece element in which all required components for fiber protection are integrated. Components not needed for a particular application can be snapped out and discarded. “When landing small-port count fiber, we went back to the field and asked broadband service providers what they needed,” says Johnny Hill, Clearfield’s COO. “They told us they had the highest standards for fiber protection and reliability – but deployment needed to be fast, intuitive, small count and small form factor. And the product needed to be so inexpensive that techs could conveniently keep small lot counts in their trucks and deploy as service calls were scheduled.”



“We get into a lot of buildings that were built more than 100 years ago, and the communications space inside those buildings is at a premium,” explains Alan Shaw of Time Warner Cable’s Business Class team. “As we bring business class services to these tight spaces, Clearfield’s xPAK design delivers the functionality we need.”

At the deployment site, the technician can follow pictorial instructions to assemble the xPAK to match field requirements. Integrated into the footprint of the device is an industry-compatible splicing tray, surrounded by fiber protection elements that support a 2-, 4- or 6-port fiber assembly as well as a range of optical component devices. (Clearfield provides a wide selection of user-defined split-count PON splitters or WDM channel frequencies.) All potentially used components, including the splice sleeves, are included in the packaging kit. Similar to the concept of a model airplane, any unused element is simply disposable.

Application Environments

Clearview xPAK is designed for fiber management when up to six fibers are landed or an optical component device is deployed in a remote location. Applications include

• Fiber demarcation

• Business-class services

• Cellular backhaul

• Fiber exhaust

• CATV node segmentation

• Entrance facilities

• Security systems (CCTV)

• Telecommunications room

• MDU applications

• Utility substations

• Fiber-to-the-desk deployment

Clearview xPAK can be deployed as a stand-alone device, or, for an additional layer of protection, look for a series of new announcements from Clearfield on FieldSmart Fiber Deliver Point (FDP) products for access-network environments. The device will also integrate into a variety of  inside- and outside-plant enclosures.