Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD), a specialist in fiber management products for communication service providers, on Feb. 20 announced the introduction of its StreetSmart portfolio of fiber management products. "Engineered from street-proven experience, these craft-friendly designs get the job done efficiently and cost effectively," commented Clearfield.
First in the portfolio series, the company says its StreetSmart Fiber Hand-Off Box for Wireline to Wireless Applications is tailored for 5G fiber deployments. Serving as the demarcation point between the backhaul fiber provider and the mobile network operator (MNO), the enclosure creates a secure, carrier-class separation between wireline and wireless fiber connections.
Purpose-built to meet the growing demand for fiber to support 5G deployments, Clearfield says the StreetSmart Fiber Hand-Off Box enables easy access to fibers while maintaining fiber management and fiber routing design principles. The box's unique angled adapter plate allows installers craft-friendly access to the connectors for ease of cleaning and testing while maintaining superior fiber management for both MNOs and backhaul fiber providers.
Within a compact 13x8x3 inch footprint, the product's superior fiber density allows service providers to scale up to 48 fibers of LC/UPC connectivity, providing quick plug-and-play turn-up of fiber-fed antennas without the need for splicing, says the company. Along with Clearfield's FiberDeep guarantee, the LC/UPC connectors provide extremely low insertion loss, critical for high-performance networks.
“The value of fiber is unmatched in today’s market. 5G and other small cell deployments require fiber to be installed deep in the network to support the increasing amount of backhaul traffic,” observes Jeff Heynen, Senior Research Director, Dell’Oro Group. “5G and other emerging technologies will rely on wireline infrastructure to meet performance expectations, making fiber the backbone for the success of future technologies.”
The StreetSmart Fiber Hand-Off Box is Telcordia GR-771 compliant and available pre-terminated with a tail to be spliced to the main trunk line or provided with Telcordia GR-1435 compliant multiple fiber push-on (MPO) connectors for plug-and-play capability.
“Many new technologies such as 5G, IoT and self-driving cars require low-latency fiber connections in order to function properly and deliver on the promise of new applications. As these technologies emerge, small cells will become widely common to support connectivity demands,” concludes Kevin Morgan, Chief Marketing Officer, Clearfield. “The driving force behind Clearfield’s StreetSmart Fiber Hand-Off Box for Wireline to Wireless Applications, as well as all Clearfield products, is to provide the market with solutions that meet the growing demand for fiber while easing the task of installation and maintenance.”