Fibre Optic Cable

Eland Cables supplies a range of fibre optic cables for both indoor and outdoor installations. These are interchangeably referred to as fibre optic and optical fibre.

Fibre optic cables consist of glass threads, each capable of transmitting digital data modulated into light waves. They effectively send information coded in a beam of light through a glass or plastic pipe. A key advantage of fibre optic cables over metal conductor cables is their superior performance in terms of bandwidth and therefore data carrying performance. Optical fibre cables are generally lighter and less susceptible to electromagnetic interference, however optical fibre tends to be more fragile than cables with a metal conductor.

The applications for optical fibre range from carrying telephone calls (up to several million calls per cable) to high speed data transfer for vast computer networks. 

Optical Fibre Cable Selection

The type of optical fibre is dictated by the application, the distance which the signals are required to travel, and the speed of transmission. The cable construction is then chosen according to the installation's environmental requirements which can range from indoors within a dry wall in a public area requiring low smoke zero halogen (LSZH) materials, to outdoor trackside by a railway network. The design - loose tube (single tube or multi-tube) or tight-buffered - will be determined by the specific installation design demands.

For mission-critical applications, all of our fibre optic cables are also available in fire resistant (IEC 60331) versions on request. 

Eland Cables has extensive experience in the specification of fibre optic cables. Our technical engineers also work with customers, including Network Rail in the United Kingdom, in order to develop new cable constructions for optimal performance, such as the fibre trackside cable. Please contact us to discuss your application and specific project requirements.