A traceable cable and method of forming the same. The cable includes at least one data transmission element, a jacket, and a side-emitting optical fiber. The side-emitting optical fiber includes a core having a first index of refraction and a cladding having a second index of refraction that is different than the first index of refraction. The cladding substantially surrounding the core and has an exterior surface with spaced apart scattering sites penetrating the exterior surface. The scattering sites are capable of scattering light so that the scattered light is emitted from the side-emitting optical fiber at discrete locations. The core also includes one or more mode coupling features capable of changing at least some low order mode light in the side-emitting optical fiber to high order mode light, thereby increasing light emitted from the scattering sites.

An optical fiber cable is composed of an optical fiber core, a tension member, an outer sheath, and so forth. The optical fiber core includes a glass wire and a resin-coated part, which is further coated by a transparent member on its outer periphery. The transparent member is, for example, urethane acrylate, PVC, nylon, and so forth. The transparent member preferably has a total light transmittance, defined by JIS K7361-1, of 60% or higher. The reason is that when the total light transmittance is less than 60%, the color tone of the optical fiber core (transparent member) becomes intense and stands out. Additionally, it is preferable that the total light transmittance of the transparent member is 80% or more.

An indoor cable is composed of an optical fiber core, tension members, an outer sheath, and so forth. The optical fiber core and the tension members are integrated by the outer sheath. The outer sheath is composed of a transparent material. The optical fiber core includes a glass wire and a resin coating (a primary resin layer and a secondary resin layer). The optical fiber core does not have a colored layer that is conventionally formed on the outer periphery of the resin coating layer. That is, the optical fiber core is composed entirely of transparent materials. On both sides of the optical fiber core, separate from the optical fiber core, is arranged a pair of tension members. The tension members are composed of transparent materials.

An optical communication cable subassembly includes a cable core having optical fibers each comprising a core surrounded by a cladding, buffer tubes surrounding subsets of the optical fibers, and a binder film surrounding the buffer tubes. Armor surrounds the cable core, the binder film is bonded to an interior of the armor, and water-absorbing powder particles are provided on an interior surface of the binder film.

Aspects of this disclosure relate to a cable that includes an outer housing, a plurality of optical fibers within the outer housing and arranged side-by-side along the width of the cable; and a removably attached access layer within the outer housing.

A tight-buffered optical fiber cable includes an improved method of accessing the coated optical fiber. The cable can include an optical fiber having a glass core and a cladding layer. One or more coating layers can be applied about the cladding layer. A buffer jacket material can be applied onto an outer surface of the outer coating layer as a buffer jacket outer layer. The buffer jacket outer layer can have distinctive features including a low tear strength, low elastic modulus, high elongation percentage, and low peeling force. This can allow a user of the optical fiber cable to separate at least a portion of the coated optical fiber from the buffer jacket outer layer by grasping a free end of the coated optical fiber and pulling it through the outer wall of the buffer jacket outer layer, thereby tearing through the outer wall of the buffer jacket outer layer.

Buffered optical fibers are formed by extruding discontinuities in the buffer layer. The discontinuities allow the buffer layer to be torn to provide access to the buffered optical fiber. The discontinuities can be longitudinally extending strips of material in the buffer layer, and can be introduced into the extrudate material flow used to form the first section of the buffer layer in the extrusion head.

Provided is an optical fiber ribbon capable of concurrently ensuring mid-span access performance and cable production performance. The optical fiber ribbon 1 includes three or more optical fibers 2 arranged in parallel and connecting portions 3 connecting the adjacent optical fibers 2, the connecting portions 3 being formed intermittently in each of a ribbon longitudinal direction X and a ribbon width direction Y. The optical fiber ribbon 1 including the connecting portions 3 having split strength which is set in the range from 1.50 gf to 21.0 gf, contributes to exhibiting both the mid-span access performance and the cable production performance.

A method for connecting a number of users with at least one signal bearing optical fiber contained in an optical cable. The method includes: a) interrupting the signal bearing optical fiber at a first branch point, obtaining a first optical fiber segment upstream of the branch point and a second optical fiber segment downstream of the branch point; b) providing an optical splitter at the branch point, the optical splitter including an input and two outputs; c) coupling the first optical fiber segment with the input of the optical splitter; d) coupling a first output of the optical splitter with a first user; e) coupling a second output of the optical splitter with a downstream optical fiber segment of an interrupted optical fiber contained in the optical cable; and f) coupling the downstream optical fiber segment with at least one further user at a further branch point downstream the first branch point.

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to an optical fiber cable. The optical fiber cable includes a cable jacket having an inner surface and an outer surface in which the inner surface defines a central bore along a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber cable and the outer surface defines the outermost extent of the cable. One or more embodiments of the cables described herein have improved bending characteristics and performances, respond positively to thermal cycling tests, provide improved anti-buckling characteristics, and have a reduced production cost compared to other known cables.