HFCL Limited has launched intermittently bonded ribbon (IBR) cables in the UK. The company is targeting the UK market for the lucrative opportunities of tapping urban and rural markets, acceleration of 5G and FTTP adoption, and meeting the growing bandwidth demands.

Sep 20, 2023

HFCL Limited (HFCL) has announced the launch of revolutionary intermittently bonded ribbon (IBR) cables in the UK. As a leading supplier in the UK market, the launch marks as a strategic move in line with HFCL’s global expansion plans and aims to further tap into UK’s urban and rural markets, accelerate 5G and FTTP adoption, and meet the growing bandwidth demands.

IBR Cables are a revolutionary product that combines small diameters with the high fibre packing densities and supports mass fusion splicing. HFCL’s IBR Cables are currently available with up to 864 fibers, incorporating HFCL’s world-class ITU-T compliant G.657A2/CW 1505 Cat 3 single-mode fibre. The cable’s proprietary low friction jacket enables enhanced jetting performance in 25/20 mini ducts that are common in cramped urban environments. These IBR Cables are also compliant to various global cable performance standards, including the IEC 60794 series and Telcordia GR-20.

The basis of the new cables is individual intermittently bonded ribbons, each made up of 12 optical fibres, which are bonded together at specific intervals along their lengths. Unlike traditional flat ribbons, flexible IBRs can bend and conform to the space available inside a cable. Groups of IBRs can, therefore, be bundled together into cables that provide twice the fibre packing density of traditional cables in the same volume. IBR cables enable installation of higher fibre counts in small diameter ducts, especially useful in congested areas with very limited space. One of the significant features of the new cable family is the high productivity mass fusion splicing that enables both faster installation and quick restoration in case of an accidental outage.

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In the UK, both urban and rural communities still face inadequate broadband access despite rapid expansion over the last few years. While some fibre networks have been installed in most cities, most urban households have no access to high-speed broadband, and access to infrastructure is the primary barrier to achieving broadband connectivity in rural markets.

A majority of UK households can order service offering speeds greater than 30 Mbps. However, there remains a substantial gap of 7 million households with no broadband or mobile internet access, according to a report published by the Communications and Digital Committee of UK. Similarly, in its Spring 2023 update, Ofcom reported approximately 68,000 UK premises don’t have an access to a decent broadband service (with speeds below 10Mbps) and almost 435,000 properties can’t access decent broadband through a fixed-line service. The UK Government is actively engaged with private players and the digital services ecosystem and have recently launched a GBP 40 million fund to accelerate 5G innovation and to put all UK households in reach of fibre to the premises (FTTP) by 2033 as part of its Project Gigabit.

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Mr. Mahendra Nahata, Managing Director of HFCL Limited, said, “HFCL, one of the leading global manufacturers of optical fibre and optical fibre cable, aims to play a crucial role in deploying high-speed internet connectivity to speed up fiberisation across the UK with the launch of its IBR Cables. Our uniquely designed IBR cables are perfectly suitable to meet the goals of the UK Government to put all households in reach of fibre to the premises (FTTP) by 2033 and accelerate 5G expansion. We believe that HFCL’s in-house R&D capabilities and expertise in innovating and customizing high-quality next-gen solutions within a quick turnaround time according to our customer needs, will enable us to emerge as a partner of choice. We are committed to expanding our presence in the UK and contribute to its government’s nationwide infrastructure upgrade along with leading enterprises, and telcos. With a solid presence in key global markets such as India, the UK, the US, the Middle East, France, and Germany, we continue on our mission to build a sustainable global digital economy.”

Mr. Harsh Pagay, Executive President (OF & OFC) of HFCL Limited, added, “We are excited to launch our innovative, next-gen IBR cables in the UK, one of the leading global economies and a priority market for HFCL. With our already established teams, office and warehousing facility in the UK, we are committed to providing superior solutions around customer problems locally. Thus, enhancing connectivity in high density areas and areas with numerous overlapping networks.”